Database Users

Kaiser vs Sapphire

I have been using an unlocked Kaiser for quite a while now. I was wondering if anyone has switched from the Kaiser to Sapphire? How do you like it?

i hated how slow it took for the kaiser to go from portrait to landscape and back. that was really annoying.
i had android running on my kaiser, it was ok at best.
capacitive screens IMO are just way better, the fact that the sapphire was designed for use with a finger, and the screen is bigger overall. its great.
things i do miss about the kaiser:
-hardware keyboard (thats about it)
things i wont be missing in a long time
-smaller, resistive screen.
-super heavy
-super thick
-brick status
-stylus

Thanks for the response. It is looking like I will get it. I'll start checking out the rom development

I know you already said you'll probably get the Sapphire but I'll throw you another vote in favor of it, just in case. I ran a Kaiser for a year and a half; I unlocked the SIM to use different providers in Europe, I was flashing custom ROMs, etc. I guess it wasn't bad but no matter how many really cool things I could do with, I could never get away from the fact that it was always still WinMo running underneath, and WinMo never failed to annoy the hell out of me. Also, with the hardware keyboard being one advantage the Kaiser did have, I never liked it -- coming from the several generations of Sidekicks I'd used prior, plus having played with my wife's G1, the Kaiser hardware keyboard always struck me as quite poor.
I switched back over to T-Mob and got a myTouch on its day of release and I'm as happy as can be. I've downloaded several dozens of free apps and widgets from the Market, finding one to cover just about everything I've needed, and haven't even bothered with rooting or custom ROMs yet. The only non-stock thing I've done is install the HTC_IME keyboard, and in terms of currently available phone technology, I probably couldn't be much happier than I am now.

i too switched from a kaiser to the magic and i am verry happy with. I can type really fast with the onscreen keyboard and android is way better than winmo. Especially the day to day usage its just so more easier and intuitiv. The only thing that is bothering me ist the extremly high SAR radiation of the device, which we dont know if its dangerous or not...

hd2 vs samsung vibrant

Hi.
I have my hd2 for about 3 months now and i really like it, but this morning on my way to work my phone died. Screen went black while i was browsing the net. I restarted it but phone is stuck on tmobile stick together splash screen. I was still rocking original tmous rom, so I called customer service and they told me that they will ship me a new one and also that i will have another 14 day trial period with it. So basically i can return this phone and pick another one. one of my friends got vibrant yesterday and i spent some time playing with it and phone seems to be pretty nice as well plus it runs android and since my last phone was g1 i am kinda used to it. Thing is i dont really like samsung phones as i had some bad experience with them in the past, so my question is, would You change your hd2 for vibrant if you had the opportunity? if yes please explain why.

I just saw it at the store about 30 minutes ago. I will say this, while being a nice phone, the avatar demo movie playing on it was chopping up and glitching a bunch. Not sure if thats the phone, or the player but video on the HD2 played way smoother and cleaner. Other then that I couldn't tell you anything. And your answer from me would be, HELL NO!! The HD2 just has too much going for it compared to everyother phone. Look at the rate of progress they are deving android for it! Near the speed of light. I could see droid being your stable OS on the HD2 in under 1 month.

The vibrant is a great phone, but not perfect either. I think in this case once again the choice just comes down to whether you get along better with Android or WM.
But, keep in mind that you'll likely never find a WM version ported to the Vibrant, where as the HD2 has several Android builds that are mostly working on it right now, and a fully-functional version should happen before very long.

i use both phones. the hd2, primarily for work and the vibrant as my "daily driver". both phones have some setbacks. with the hd2, my biggest complaint, on the latest stock rom, has been lagging and freezing during and after sending sms and mms. i usually have to soft reset my phone during these cases.
however, i am sure flashing of some custom roms should solve this issue but i have not had the time to do so. overall, i love the build quality of the hd2 and its gorgeous 4.3" display. i'm also running a dual boot of the latest android froyo port on it and it almost runs as smooth as the android os on my vibrant.
my biggest gripes about the vibrant is its overall build quality. it's pretty much plastic all over and very lightweight. there are some creaks during vibration.
while this might be a setback it's also one of the phone's strengths. some times i forget that it's in my pocket. it's very portable/pocketable and slim. bear in mind, it's screen is 4", not that much smaller than the hd2's. also its weight literally feels like a feather vs. the weight of the hd2.
my other complaint about the vibrant is the TouchWiz skinned interface. it looks a lot like the iphone. heck, the overall look of the phone looks like the iphone 3gs. however, i soon got over that that by installing some home theme replacement apps/ui such as Launcher Pro and ADW launder free from the android market. these themed UI apps look just like vanilla froyo roms and actually run smoother then the touchwiz theme.
Overall, the vibrant is seems to run a lot smoother, quicker v. the hd2 in terms of app launching and scrolling, screen transitioning, and gaming. furthermore, texting is great. no lags nor freezes and the included swype keyboard trumps the one provided by the hd2. no lags, delays, etc whatsoever. however, there are some lags and glitches here and there when running a number of apps or when using the android market. just like the hd2 and the winmo OS, there are task killers that you can download from the android market place. and let's not forget the beautiful and vibrant (yes, tmobile got it right with this nickname) the screen is. i literally have the brightness set at 0 and it's still stands out a bit vs. my hd2 set at about 20 pct to save battery. honestly, i've never seen a smartphone reproduce such colors in terms of watching movies like avatar so vividly. i'd say it's almost on par with the beautiful display of the iphone 4.
if you decide to purchase the vibrant, make use of the 14 day return period. make use of the android market and look in to this website, xda and see what the vibrant is capable of. rooting is SUPER easy on this phone and a froyo build should be coming out soon from team cyanogen (i.e. wes garner). The official OTA on android 2.2 will likely be out by the end of September for this phone as well.

I had an Android phone for about 18 months, and I've had my HD2 for about 4...
I love the HD2. Best phone I've ever had. The G1 was cool when it came out, and I was impressed initally, but it only took a week or so before it started to get "buggy". Once I rooted it, nothing imporved and I was constantly out of touch for hours at a time due to booting, wiping, flashing, etc...
HD2 totally different story. Say what you will about Windows Mobile 6.5, but it is very customizable and powerful, capable of many great feats. Not nearly as proprietary as iPhone or the upcoming WP7. And as of now as far as I know Microsoft is on record as stating they will be supporting and upgrading 6.5 for the next two years at least even though WP7 will be out.
The HD2 is very quick. The stock Opera browser, while not having native flash is very quick to load full media-rich pages. Having Office 2010 preloaded is a big plus for me, also.
I play the Ferrari GT Evolution game all the time, and since I got a class 6 SD Card, there is very little lag or stutter at all, graphics are very imressive. I know the Vibrant has a better screen but I think the HD2's is good enough to where this would not be considered a "deal breaker" (like not having a freakin' flash on your top model phone, I mean, come on, Samsung, is everyone there shooting meth?).
I have not had any problems with MMS, Text, or Facebook or Twitter on my HD2. All run very smoothly. I have 5 email accounts up and synching nicely.
As far as watching movies, if you have to run them side by side to tell the difference, again, I file it in the "not a dealbreaker" category. All I know is I can watch True Blood in H264 just fine on my HD2 and not even use 35% of the battery.
Battery life on the HD2 for me seems to be about a full day, plus a half if not having wifi on all the time.
People complain about the size but I love it. I like having a big, solidly-built smartphone that I know is sitting in my pocket and not going anywhere.
Anyway, I haven't played with the Vibrant yet so I can't do a comparison, but the flash for me is a big one, because I use the camera on my HD2 constantly. But my advice would be not to write off the HD2 just because of everything you hear about it. Give it a shot. It's a great phone.
Hope that helps.

to be fair, the op was asking about the vibrant. i also have a rooted g1 and i'd have to say the vibrant murders the g1 in every aspect. i have not rooted the vibrant out of the box because of how much internal memory it has (16 gb) and its blazing speed.
mfrey0118 said:
I had an Android phone for about 18 months, and I've had my HD2 for about 4...
I love the HD2. Best phone I've ever had. The G1 was cool when it came out, and I was impressed initally, but it only took a week or so before it started to get "buggy". Once I rooted it, nothing imporved and I was constantly out of touch for hours at a time due to booting, wiping, flashing, etc...
HD2 totally different story. Say what you will about Windows Mobile 6.5, but it is very customizable and powerful, capable of many great feats. Not nearly as proprietary as iPhone or the upcoming WP7. And as of now as far as I know Microsoft is on record as stating they will be supporting and upgrading 6.5 for the next two years at least even though WP7 will be out.
The HD2 is very quick. The stock Opera browser, while not having native flash is very quick to load full media-rich pages. Having Office 2010 preloaded is a big plus for me, also.
I play the Ferrari GT Evolution game all the time, and since I got a class 6 SD Card, there is very little lag or stutter at all, graphics are very imressive. I know the Vibrant has a better screen but I think the HD2's is good enough to where this would not be considered a "deal breaker" (like not having a freakin' flash on your top model phone, I mean, come on, Samsung, is everyone there shooting meth?).
I have not had any problems with MMS, Text, or Facebook or Twitter on my HD2. All run very smoothly. I have 5 email accounts up and synching nicely.
As far as watching movies, if you have to run them side by side to tell the difference, again, I file it in the "not a dealbreaker" category. All I know is I can watch True Blood in H264 just fine on my HD2 and not even use 35% of the battery.
Battery life on the HD2 for me seems to be about a full day, plus a half if not having wifi on all the time.
People complain about the size but I love it. I like having a big, solidly-built smartphone that I know is sitting in my pocket and not going anywhere.
Anyway, I haven't played with the Vibrant yet so I can't do a comparison, but the flash for me is a big one, because I use the camera on my HD2 constantly. But my advice would be not to write off the HD2 just because of everything you hear about it. Give it a shot. It's a great phone.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

ryan562 said:
to be fair, the op was asking about the vibrant. i also have a rooted g1 and i'd have to say the vibrant murders the g1 in every aspect. i have not rooted the vibrant out of the box because of how much internal memory it has (16 gb) and its blazing speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be accurate, they were asking if anyone would trade their HD2 for the Vibrant. I simply wanted to have an opportunity to let the OP know that his HD2 experience may be the exception rather than the norm, and to familiarize himself with how to use the device instead of simply giving up on it.

Thx for the replys.
I decided to stick with hd2. I flashed a custom rom same day i got my replacement and it really improved speed of the phone and everything work as smooth as i expected. On top of that im runing darkstone's froyo now and im loving it.

nomadwgk said:
Hi.
I have my hd2 for about 3 months now and i really like it, but this morning on my way to work my phone died. Screen went black while i was browsing the net. I restarted it but phone is stuck on tmobile stick together splash screen. I was still rocking original tmous rom, so I called customer service and they told me that they will ship me a new one and also that i will have another 14 day trial period with it. So basically i can return this phone and pick another one. one of my friends got vibrant yesterday and i spent some time playing with it and phone seems to be pretty nice as well plus it runs android and since my last phone was g1 i am kinda used to it. Thing is i dont really like samsung phones as i had some bad experience with them in the past, so my question is, would You change your hd2 for vibrant if you had the opportunity? if yes please explain why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No i wouod keep the hd2 but thats just me...but i agree with you on the samsung topic they really arent the greatest...
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

Is Epic your first Android phone?

If you are unhappy with the phone, is it because of the phone or Android?

Epic popped my cherry. I was waiting for a wp7 device until I heard it was 2011 for sprint. Android as a os is better than I expected. The samsung half of things has some rough edges but I knew that going in.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

My smartphone path started with a Motorola Q9C which got me addicted to a physical keyboard. Next was a HTC Mogul, then a Touch Pro which I held on to forever until the Epic. As ready as I was to move off of the Touch Pro there really hadn't been anything with a physical keyboard until the Epic that tempted me.
There are some things I miss about Windows Mobile, and one or two things I don't like about the Epic, but the good outnumbers the bad.

I went from a Vogue, to a Diamond to a TP2. However, this isn't my first Android rodeo exactly. I'd toyed with it off and on on all 3 phones. Most recently I was running the increasingly-polished 2.2 build on my TP2. It was still missing a few key features, but had been my full-time platform in the final month I used the TP2.
I also recently went back and installed the fully native Android that runs off internal memory on the Vogue so my daughter could have something to play with for games/apps and movies on trips, etc. It doesn't have a data plan though so once the TP2 Android build gets close to the level of maturity the Vogue has I'll likely do the same thing with it as it at least has wifi and a much better screen.
I definitely fall on the power user side of things, but I've curiously had no itch whatsoever to root my Epic or try a different shell/launcher yet.

See the sig.

Ya its my first and I love android! I've had winmo 6.1 and 6.5 on my mogul, tp, and tp2 now epic!! Android is where its at! Ha
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I just finally upgraded my treo 700p and went with the epic.
What can I say...
WOW.

Just upgraded from my old Mogul that I've had since launch. I'm still learning my way around Android, and don't want to pay for any UI apps until froyo drops. So far, so good, though I liked the Mogul's keys better.

I started out with the HTC Hero, then went to the HTC EVO (shortly took it back cause it was definitely not worth the money... worst phone I've ever used), shortly after I traded my defective Hero in for the Samsung Moment while waiting for the Epic. The Epic is by far the best phone I have ever used!

The Epic is my first Android device. Came from a Blackberry Curve that was my first smartphone. I definitely miss the workhorse BB but I love the Epic. Battery on the old Curve was awesome compared to the Epic but I never really go to long without having a place to charge so it's not an issue. I swore by BB for email and messaging but the lack of a decent web browser really sealed it's fate. Even after I saw the new OS 6 I wasn't impressed. I don't think I'll ever go back to a BB. Android is far easier to use and much more customizable. And it's not locked down in a black turtleneck.

I started vogue, to diamond, touch pro, then issues with that went into a tp2, got evo gave to my girl, got epic ... typically HTC. Has been my thing I do like the epic but there are times where I find myself thinking... why did I pay this much for this again. I may be spoiled but I was honestly expecting a bit more. Maybe its the somewhat shortage of development or perhaps my inability to motivate myself in learning all the quirks of android since I spent three years learning the winmo cooking roms and all that.... overall 8/10 on epic but 4/10 on samsung brand overall....
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I upgraded to the Epic after having a Sidekick 2008 for like 2 years and let me tell you: no comparison. I have experience with kernel and the source code so this whole Android whatchamadoodle works out a whole lot better for me. Loving the Epic, loving Android ;-)

The epic is my first adroid phone and I'll be an android fan for life as well as a samsung fan. I came from an instinct to the epic. I love this phone and I love this platform. I just wish the battery life was better.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

epic is my first android phone. I came from the iphone3g and was just getting sick of apple's closed system policy in general. It's a great gadget when it's jailbroken, but it's a ****ty phone. I was going to wait out my contract and go to whatever the best android phone was going to be on the market, but the month leading up to the release of the epic saw nearly daily dropped calls and complete loss of data on multiple occasions. So anyway, had it since launch and have been very happy since. (Just wish my damn screen wouldn't wobble )

Nope, first Android phone was the G1, which I had for a little over two years. Love Android and got hooked on the modding community. I'm mixed on the phone, the processor and stuff are great, keyboard and battery life could be better.

Started with the mogul -> vogue -> diamond -> evo -> epic
I gave the evo to my sis.
Cons:
I do miss some of the features from the evo, ie kickstand/hdmi out
bit bulky, I don't really need the keyboard and would have preferred a keyboard-less like the fascinate but sadly we don't have that option.
GPS issue is horrid compared to my experience with the other phones.
Some quirks here and there like the capacitive button placement is different.
No dock that I know of.
Pros:
good graphical performance and pretty snappy.
the color saturation/contrast is great
keyboard is a very good when used.
I like the notification screen control panel at the top. Better than having to use widgets.
Overall:
Satisfied. The epic is not perfect but I am happy with it. It was a significant step up from the diamond but more of a sidestep from the Evo. If they addressed all my cons, then it'd be the nearly perfect phone for me; but until then the epic will suffice.

My first android phone was the intercept then I saw the epic and switched
Sent from my Epic 4g

My 1st Android phone was a dark dark time in my life. Unfortunately in a moment of stupidity, I impulse bought the Moment without reading up on it. That phone made me want to die inside every time it rang. Sprint burnt me on the 30 day thing (long story) so I was pretty well boned. I hated Sprint, Samsung and Android because of that horrific piece of hardware.
After 5 Moments I couldn't stand it anymore and I picked up the Epic (at retail pricing) shortly after it came out and was completely impressed - until I found out that phone freaked out when uploading. Not wanting to get burnt again, I returned my 1st Epic. I loved the phone otherwise but that upload problem was a show stopper.
Low and Behold - Sprint and Samsung actually fixed the problem with DI18! After the torment I went through on the Moment I really wasn't optimistic but holy hell, this new one works! Maybe Samsung/Sprint learned something from the Moment. I was so excited to have a working Android w/ keyboard on Sprint I actually bought 2 of them to rid my wife of her aging blackberry as well. It's a little bulky, but I always wanted a palmtop computer.
My 1st Android experience was a colossal clusterfudge, but the DI18 Epic won me back. I'll be destroying the Moment with extreme prejudice in mid to late November. I'll be sure to catch it on video to share with everyone on the Moment forums.

First smart phone was a palm pre. Liked many of my wife's phone a htc hero features. Bought me a htc evo. Later I saw the epic and passed on my evo to the wife. Had a ipod with ios which is simular to a iphone ios and I must say that android is a lot better. I love android!

Epic is my first Android phone and I couldn't be happier. Also still have and use my Palm Pre but even overclocked to the max, the stock Epic is so fast. I like lots of the aspects of the Pre but the Epic is digital crack for me!
Have used I Phone 3 & 4, Evo & Droid with friends and they too agree the Epic is way faster and sexier. No phone is perfect but this phone is damn close.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Thinking of getting a G1

Whats the G1 like?
I suppose its a good phone.
The thing is, i have a very limited budget. I bought a LG GT540 about 2 months ago and i am not happy with the quality of it, so i thought why not a g1? I have liked the G1 ever since it came out and i have only seen one in real life, ever. I can't really afford a new one or a G2 or a newer android phone.
So, could you tell me what its like?
Any problems with the G1?
It would be great if you could help!
Thanks

Do you care about the camera pixels?
Screen resolution?
Screen size?
Color pixels?
adobe flash player?
Low Internal memory ?
Led flash or dual led flash?
If not the g1 is for you

I have upgraded mine to Froyo (the AOSP build). I have applied some of the changes found amongst these forums, and so have the new radio and enhanced memory, and I must say the phone performing wonderfully.
I don't surf on it heavily, but most apps I throw at it run very well.
As far as cons, Angry Birds doesn't do too well - it is so choppy as to be unplayable. Also, I have seen other phones that have a standard 3.5" stereo jack, and some that have an FM radio. These are two options I envy some.
But altogether, it's a great phone.

flyboyovyick said:
Whats the G1 like?
I suppose its a good phone.
The thing is, i have a very limited budget. I bought a LG GT540 about 2 months ago and i am not happy with the quality of it, so i thought why not a g1? I have liked the G1 ever since it came out and i have only seen one in real life, ever. I can't really afford a new one or a G2 or a newer android phone.
So, could you tell me what its like?
Any problems with the G1?
It would be great if you could help!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
G1 is a solid android device it may not have the best screen but as far as speed man root it set cpu to a nice speed maybe compache and zx donut or superD and youll be ard maybe buy an extra battery like 4 dollars on ebay so itll last u the whole day buy your self a 2-8gb sd card thats all ya need

well my lg can play angry birds well
has a fm radio
the g1 has a 3.2" same res screen as the lg.
same camera res
i only really care about android wifi gps camera and build quality
I just don't feel that the build quality of the lg is going to last for at least 1 year.
the other htc's ive had have been phucking solid.
thanks for your advise. I am trying to buy a g1 for under £120, then i can sell my lg or go back to my trusty htc himalaya.

flyboyovyick said:
well my lg can play angry birds well
has a fm radio
the g1 has a 3.2" same res screen as the lg.
same camera res
i only really care about android wifi gps camera and build quality
I just don't feel that the build quality of the lg is going to last for at least 1 year.
the other htc's ive had have been phucking solid.
thanks for your advise. I am trying to buy a g1 for under £120, then i can sell my lg or go back to my trusty htc himalaya.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha good choice and you can get the g1 for like 60 on ebay and it might come with a screen protector charger case etc theres deals out there man look around

Too be honest, I would say just save up money and get a new android phone like the g2 or maybe even a used Nexus One.
The G1 ROM section is so boring now and it is NOT FAST at all. Even with these donut roms, all you will be doing is forcing yourself to believe that it is fast.
Coming from a dude whose phone has the space specs as the g1

Then get the device any android phone is good just with a simple root you can add feature, New Android 0S and removing annoying apps and the underclock speed from the carrier.
jamal717 said:
G1 is a solid android device it may not have the best screen but as far as speed man root it set cpu to a nice speed maybe compache and zx donut or superD and youll be ard maybe buy an extra battery like 4 dollars on ebay so itll last u the whole day buy your self a 2-8gb sd card thats all ya need
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You can get it for cheaper in craigslist i bought an htc hero $40 dollars.
jamal717 said:
haha good choice and you can get the g1 for like 60 on ebay and it might come with a screen protector charger case etc theres deals out there man look around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Fm radio it ok but i think tune in radio for an radio app is better then sense ui Fm radio.
steve1326 said:
I have upgraded mine to Froyo (the AOSP build). I have applied some of the changes found amongst these forums, and so have the new radio and enhanced memory, and I must say the phone performing wonderfully.
I don't surf on it heavily, but most apps I throw at it run very well.
As far as cons, Angry Birds doesn't do too well - it is so choppy as to be unplayable. Also, I have seen other phones that have a standard 3.5" stereo jack, and some that have an FM radio. These are two options I envy some.
But altogether, it's a great phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

UberMario said:
Too be honest, I would say just save up money and get a new android phone like the g2 or maybe even a used Nexus One.
The G1 ROM section is so boring now and it is NOT FAST at all. Even with these donut roms, all you will be doing is forcing yourself to believe that it is fast.
Coming from a dude whose phone has the space specs as the g1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just buy it and use the latest froyo roms (see CYANOGENMOD forum, nightlies)

IMO, keyboard is the biggest thing for me. And the g1's keyboard is one of my favorites. I used sidekicks and blackberries, and was able to type without looking at my phone with all of them. I also upgraded to the g2 for a month, but returned it cause at the time there was no root.
I can confidently say that if you're into keyboards, you should save up for the g2 or just get the g1. Motorola cliq and the other motorla phones are not for me.
if you're a simple man/woman, then the g1 will be good.
Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using XDA App

True, if you could save up some extra £'s then you should get a G2 since its awesomely better & performs similar or even better than some of the new android phones out there. But if not, then go for the G1, mines been used for a year & a bit & still works great!

G1 is terrible, don't waste your time.
Sent using smoke signals.

I bought mine a year ago and I am still totally in love with it. It is the oldest android phone but still one of the best (IMHO). I had the opportunity to upgrade it to an LG optimus, but I prefered the quality of the G1.
- Less memory, slower processor
+ qwerty, quality, capacitive screen, developers and their cool roms

BPC48 said:
I bought mine a year ago and I am still totally in love with it. It is the oldest android phone but still one of the best (IMHO). I had the opportunity to upgrade it to an LG optimus, but I prefered the quality of the G1.
- Less memory, slower processor
+ qwerty, quality, capacitive screen, developers and their cool roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of those + can be had with other devices.
Ill admit that the g1 is a cool device, but it belongs in a museum at this point.. if you can get one for under $50 in excellent shape, go for it.. otherwise, save up and snag something a little newer.
Sent from my Evo 4G running AvaFroyo v10 w/ MakMod using Tapatalk

I wrote those pluses and minuses about the LG GT540 vs. G1 comparrison. Otherwise you re right there are many super phones out there if you have enough money.

G1 was a great phone. It allowed Android to sneak its way into the phone market and allowed the great N1 to make its way into the market. Now it's just dead. If you want a good Android phone, get a N1. It is still up to date with most smart phones and won't lead you wrong.
Hardware keyboards - They're great in certain situations. However, I can still type faster on my G2's soft keyboard than hardware keyboard and all I use is hardware keyboard to try and get used to it. After a few months of getting a G2, I'm still not faster with the hardware keyboard. Swype is also a great keyboard replacement, but I personally like typing letter by letter. With word prediction, it seems faster to correct mistakes.
Also, cyanogenmod 6.1 is great, but I couldn't use it on my myTouch3g. I often wondered if some of my RAM had failed or if my processor was starting to die because of how horribly slow it was yet everyone bragging about how fast it was. Indeed, it was great when I first loaded it. After I installed a few apps and a few widgets, that all went away. I tried numerous setups of swap, compcache and even left them be for weeks at a time seeing what was good and what wasn't... nothing was good. Now I'm running cyanogen 6.1 on my G2 and I've never seen it run so smooth and perfect.
If you absolutely desire a smart phone, and can get a G1 cheap, go for it. But I would personally only use it while saving up for something better. I'm aware these phones are pretty pricey and people have other priorities and they're not an option for everyone, but after using a G2 I can never go back to anything less than it.
Edit: Also, be careful buying budget Android phones. My fiancee has a Samsung Intercept on VM and even with a 800Mhz processor it is slow as dirt. It was basically unusable until I rooted it. And even with root there are still many, many speed issues.

I had a g1 for 2 years now I got a vibrant
If you are on a budget the g1 is the best most customizable android phone! There are tons of roms and you can overclock it and all other things plus its git a bunch of devs !
The vibrant has like 6 decent roms only from 3 devs
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I'll agree with alan up there, even though G1 development has severely slowed down, there are still devs working on producing ROMs for it and they are all great developers and do a very, very good job.

All Evo Shift 4G owners please read and respond

I am looking at purchasing a Shift 4G for my mom to upgrade her from her POS blackberry. I currently have the Big Brother to the Shift (the Supersonic), and absolutely love it, I won't give it up for anything, but my mom would be more suited to an iPhone, however sprint doesn't have the iPhone, and I get a 23% discount through my job.
Could several people respond about the Shift please:
1. Average battery life (moderate usage)
2. Size and Feel of the phone for day to day use
3. How does the keyboard feel for texting
4. How smooth does this redesigned Sense OS feel
5. How well does the camera operate
6. Does the screen size feel ok if you use the touchscreen instead of the slideout KB.
I would prefer non-rooted people to respond to these since I won't be rooting her phone. I want to hear all responses both good, and bad.

So you want us to do the research for you?
^ Shift Faced

Lol yup. Go to the store and play with one. Read the reviews online.

I have my phone rooted but nothing major done to it..even rooting it was easy under the right posts and take from here and there and waa laa it worked great, however; i love this phone..a lot..my first android was a G1 and second a Hero(CDMA) and now this..I have been trying to find something more like the G1..The hero felt like a downgrade and now this phone excites me about the new frontier of android. I OC'd my hero with no avail and to be out performed by phones like the droid and ah whatever..it seems to me this phone is the benchmark of performance and as for your questions:
1. I feel as though I get about 12 hours..when I use it to play games and stuff maybe 6-8
2. I enjoy the keyboard..both physical KB and onscreen..I use both cause I came from a hero with no physical kb but i really like both
3. both KB's work great on texting..i prefer the physical for when I have longer messages to write because its faster IMO, even so the virtual has no lag either.
4. Compared to the Sense UI from the Hero this phone is a HUGE improvement..when I first got my phone I was really impressed with the improvements to the UI because it seemed HTC logged on XDA and got all of our gripes then fixed them
5. I finally used the camera this weekend to take pictures for making invitations to my son's birthday party and I was impressed with the facial recognition. Its 5MP so its no Cannon or Sony but it still does a great job with facial recognition and all
6. As I said earlier I use both and the I have no problem with the screen size interfering with the kb..

The phone feels perfect in your hand. Almost like your holding something other than a phone. The sense UI is great, very smooth and fast. The camera also is great. The still picture quality could be improved if you want to be nit picky, however 720p recording is so amazing. The hardware keyboard is very nice and fast as well. I like it better than my blackberry tour. I would recommend this phone to anyone, anyplace, anytime.

I also have evo, and also was considering picking up a shift for my mom (she has a Samsung moment that is barely functional), I went into sprint store and was able to play with one just a little bit. Was not that impressed, sadly (and I'm a big HTC fan).
Mostly, I felt the HW keyboard was almost unusable (I kept mashing multiple buttons at the same time), yet the HW keyboard is what I thought was supposed to be the attraction to otherwise would-be evo buyers.
As for OP 'wanting others to do his research for him', that's not the case at all, he wants to hear from people who have had more than just a few moments with the shift. Give the guy a break.
***maybe I just can't type well- yet I have no issues typing on my evo ****
Sent from my virus infected and nuggified evo using XDA App

I ordered the Shift ready to exchange it for an Evo at the drop of a hat if I didn't like it, but after a while I'm really happy with this phone. It really doesn't get enough credit for how good it is.
The battery life is good enough that I can use it for moderate-heavy use of texting and internet and still have 1/4 of the battery left at the end of the day. I haven't ever used the 4G though, and I imagine that would change things up.
I came a from a Hero, and the Shift is slightly thicker and taller. It feels pretty sturdy, similar to a Droid. If you're looking for iPhone aesthetic you might be disappointed here.
Not a big fan of the keyboard, or keyboards in general really, so I can't really judge this. I find myself using the on-screen KB most of the time, and it works great. If you're curious, the sliding mechanism is the same used in the Droid and not like the G2's snap out hinge. Definitely prefer this, as the keyboard usually stays shut.
As it happens I don't really like Sense either, but it seems to operate the same as it did on the Hero (and probably the Evo.) It's fast and the widgets are cool, so if you like Sense then I guess you'll really dig it. Myself, I'll take Launcher Pro any day.
The camera is really excellent for a phone. Pictures are taken as fast as an iPhone and saved to your SD before you know it. Image quality isn't amazing and the flash function is sorta just there, but this is to be expected.
I'm really happy with this phone. While I would have preferred a Shift without a keyboard, I'm not at all bothered.

I don't have the time to give a lot of info, but I was really surprised last night.
My phone had been unplugged for almost 24 hours, with average (working most of the day) not heavy as normal usage, and i still had 40% battery left.
Coming from the Moment, this phone is so amazing. And even after seeing how my girlfriend's rooted Evo works, it's still pretty amazing.

herbthehammer said:
Lol yup. Go to the store and play with one. Read the reviews online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have gone to the store and played with it, I have had my mom check it out as well, she said it seemed ok, I thought it felt like crap, the slider was stiff, the screen didnt rotate to adjust for the keyboard being kicked out. I had these issues with it on 3 different display models at 2 different stores (one sprint store, one best buy), Which is why I asked the new shift community to chime in, if it was left up to my impression at the store, i would say the phone is a piece of **** that shouldn't be sold to consumers. However I doubt that is the case, and I wanted feedback from people who already own one.

Khilbron said:
I am looking at purchasing a Shift 4G for my mom to upgrade her from her POS blackberry. I currently have the Big Brother to the Shift (the Supersonic), and absolutely love it, I won't give it up for anything, but my mom would be more suited to an iPhone, however sprint doesn't have the iPhone, and I get a 23% discount through my job.
Could several people respond about the Shift please:
1. Average battery life (moderate usage)
2. Size and Feel of the phone for day to day use
3. How does the keyboard feel for texting
4. How smooth does this redesigned Sense OS feel
5. How well does the camera operate
6. Does the screen size feel ok if you use the touchscreen instead of the slideout KB.
I would prefer non-rooted people to respond to these since I won't be rooting her phone. I want to hear all responses both good, and bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you read anything in these forums at all? wtf

Khilbron said:
I have gone to the store and played with it, I have had my mom check it out as well, she said it seemed ok, I thought it felt like crap, the slider was stiff, the screen didnt rotate to adjust for the keyboard being kicked out. I had these issues with it on 3 different display models at 2 different stores (one sprint store, one best buy), Which is why I asked the new shift community to chime in, if it was left up to my impression at the store, i would say the phone is a piece of **** that shouldn't be sold to consumers. However I doubt that is the case, and I wanted feedback from people who already own one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the slider is stiff in the store probably due to the protective plastic still being around the keyboard. Otherwise it's very nice (except mine, which is really loose).
The screen rotates just fine when the keyboard is opened. It takes a half-second, but it rotates on all screens, except perhaps the facebook app.
I would actually say this phone is similar build quality to the evo, if not better. It's also the smaller form, which many people like. Not to mention the fact that it has more potential to be OC'd and if the dev's can figure it out, the potential to be a major powerhouse.

foxsdaddy67 said:
have you read anything in these forums at all? wtf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*sarcasm* No of course I haven't *sarcasm*, however I don't think you have, the first 7 pages of this 11 page subforum are filled with people complaining about broken hinges, bad sliders, charging problems, ect... which is why I put this thread up, I want to see the positive feedback, I want a reason to buy this phone as a gift for my mother. Generally the praise is left out of the forums, and the help me this is Borked takes over. I Love HTC phones, and as I am sitting I don't have a good reason to select this phone for her or go el cheapo and get her an optimus or an intercept.

First off, I think the EVO is a solid device...one of the few on Sprint.
I really like the EVO Shift better. It has a 2nd generation processor in it so it's slightly faster than the regular EVO w/being on a stock rom. I have not done it but heard it's a beast running the modified over clocked kernel.
Keyboard does get some getting used to, and I find myself using the on-screen keyboard for short text messages and the hardware keyboard on longer emails. HTC is know for durability and extended life (compared to other *cough* Kyocera) so I'm not too worried about the keyboard being extended.
I love to hate Sense UI...there are some features that are amazing and other's that just...well, yack.
The volume key's are always getting in my way, but I just have to "de-program" myself and get used to it. I've only had the Shift for a couple days, so I'll let my body catch up.
Did I mention how fast this device is? That is...even running stock!
I haven't heard it mentioned but I think the battery cover is a nuisance and feels cheap. If I had to do a sliding scale scoring on this device, without any industry experience, I would give it a 8/10 - from a consumer review

Mom, grandma, aunt, female cousin, sister, daughter, niece...when will the madness end? Boys and men, start buying these phones for yourselves!

foxsdaddy67 said:
have you read anything in these forums at all? wtf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I was thinking. Do some research for yourself.
powered by the tears of a million orphaned alpacas...

I've said it before and I will say it again. A decent android phone that wont break the bank or make you pay the extra ten bucks a month and for someone that isn't a power user is the LG optimus.
Yeah going from a moment to a shift is, form factor wise, about the same so there wouldn't be much to adjust to operating differently besides no cursor button.
Knowing what I do now, if I couldn't afford a top tier phone and monthly bill, I'd go with the little LG. People are giving it very good ratings on sprint's site.
With the screen not going landscape, maybe in screen settings it was turned off. Plus people probably install all kinds of crap on the display phones it bogs it down and lags terribly.

herbthehammer said:
I've said it before and I will say it again. A decent android phone that wont break the bank or make you pay the extra ten bucks a month and for someone that isn't a power user is the LG optimus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All new smartphone activations will have the $10 fee now, you might as well get a 4G phone.
Sent from my HTC Evo Shift 4G using the XDA app.

wardfan220 said:
All new smartphone activations will have the $10 fee now, you might as well get a 4G phone.
Sent from my HTC Evo Shift 4G using the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So regardless if the phone is 4g or not, they are gonna charge an extra ten bucks a month?

herbthehammer said:
So regardless if the phone is 4g or not, they are gonna charge an extra ten bucks a month?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. There is a post here about it somewhere. I'm in my phone so I don't have a link atm.
Sent from my HTC Evo Shift 4G using the XDA app.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/sprint-data-plan-fees_n_810279.html
^ Shift Faced