HD2 vs Hero vs iSheep - HD2 General

Hi
I recently lost my Hero and have been offered (by my bank insurers) a replacement Hero or an HD2 (or other phones I'm uninterested in). I loved the Hero, although it was laggy and generally underpowered, but the whole Android thing was/is pretty damn good. I've also had a Tytn II, so I'm aware of the WinMo foibles. My other half has also given me her Hero (for the time being at least) because she just doesn't get on with it. So, what do I do from here:
1) Opt for replacement Hero and either sell it or give my gf's one back to her?
2) Take the HD2 and make it my primary phone
3) Take the HD2 and sell it so I can buy a iPhone 3GS (or upgrade early and get a 4)
Day to day, I need to be able to run the following:
Evernote
Remember the Milk
MP3
Video
RSS feeds
Solid browsing
RSS feeds
Good calender integration (with Googlemail preferably)
Good Twitter app
Good Facebook app
Separate work and personal contacts (currently all work contacts are on Exchange and all personal ones are on Googlemail - handled perfectly by Android)
Solid and reliable GPS (for both driving (if possible) and tracking my running/biking - Android has 3-4 great apps for this)
Integration with Exchange (inc tasks preferably) as well as Googlemail (inc Calendar if possible)
The Hero does the above very well, but like I say is a laggy - a Desire would be great but not really an option.
The iPhone does it all (not sure how it manages/separates contacts though) and obviously has the huge app store.
The HD2 has a luscious front end and possibly does all the above - but does it separate work stuff from personal stuff? And do you still have to dig around in the WM backend to get it to do things?
Anyway, that's generally where I'm at. What do you recommend? Would appreciate any thoughts and comments.
Thanks in advance.
SC
PS I'm in the UK and use Vodafone.
EDIT: I should add that I've checked out loads of HD2 reviews and the concensus seems to be that the front end is really quick n slick, but ultimately it's still a WinMo OS - the former looks great and certainly looks the part, but does the latter really cause "problems?"
EDIT: I've also read that the HD2 can develop lag/hanging - but I guess every phone can. Is there a fix to this? I've heard that flashing the ROM can sort this, but returning the phone to HTC seems OTT to me. What say you? Cheers

I've also heard that the XDA forum has links to various (unofficial) WM app stores - haven't really found them yet, so can anyone say whether these "additional" apps are genuinely good?

I'm gonna be honest here, bud. The hd2 probably isn't for you. It is essentially a tweakers phone. here's why:
The lushus front end you speak of is painfully slow out of the box and to get it running smoothly you need to install a couple of apps (a 3d driver patch and a program to force the cpu to run at full speed all the time).
The facebook app is ok but i would not call it excellent and that's after you install the update from MS marketplace.
Opera 9.7 is a solid browser and if you want flash have a look at skyfire or opera 10.
The GPS rocks as long you configure windows to use it properly and get the latest version of google maps. The inbuilt mp3 player sucks and sounds like a 3 year old bashing saucepans with a wooden spoon (this is coming from a partially deaf person so it's bad) there are alternatives but none of the ones i tried sounded much better until i installed SRS WOWHD 2.1 for windows mobile.
I did check to see if you could get evernote for windows mobile and you can. The reminder system is as good as outlook 2010 but you can't split your contacts into groups. Although, coz it's windows mobile exchange integration is flawless and supports ssl secured direct push (and if you have exchange 2010 and outlook 2010 you can enjoy having your text messages viewable in outlook on the pc)
For video you'll probably want to look at tcpmp or it's big brother coreplayer and WM includes the MS rss feed application.
I love the Leo but i'm an IT engineer and messing about with computer hardware and software is what i do for a living (and for fun). A lot of people find it irritating because they have a lot of problems with it, or they find the battery life is too short but from my experience it is because they are just not IT literate enough to deal with the small glitches, that 9 times out of 10, they themselves have caused.
So to summarise, if you want a quiet life, aren't interesting in tweaking or modifying your phone and want all the features on your wish list get the desire. If you want a half assed attempt at a phone, that only lets you do one thing at a time and locks you into 2 different proprietry technologies, get the iPhone and if you love tweaking and modding, want the freedom to do anything you want with your device, a massive screen and a phone so fast that, once tweaked a little, could beat the holy hell out of that windows 98 desktop you had back in the day, get a HD2
P.S. If you do get a hd2 the first thing you should do is get the office mobile 2010 update from ms because it's not included by default and is much better than OM 2007
P.P.S. Just to put my speed statement into context. The iPhone 4 which is as yet unreleased still won't be as fast as the Leo which is almost a year on the market

Going by the price of the Hero in NZ, that's a pretty good deal, no? At the very least, you could take the HD2, try it, and sell it to buy another Hero and then some, no?
I'd honestly recommend the HD2 - best phone I've ever used, and the current dev community is making new apps and mods on a daily basis. Re: listed apps, the majority are integrated in Sense UI, and the rest of the functions are fine - unsure on Remember The Milk since it's not an application I'm familiar with. Tasks/reminders?
As for the unofficial app store, check out Omarket - or just browse XDA!
EDIT: As noted above, it's a phone for those who love tweaking everything they possibly can. If you want an out-of-box experience, iphone's the way to go - Personally, I get irked every time I find something I can't change.

Thanks guys - I appreciate the lengthy replies.
Having mildly tweaked my Tytn II and Hero in the past, I'm happy to do the same with the HD2 - which I've just ordered as a replacement. I don't really want to get into rooting and custom ROMs but I've no problem digging around to a degree. I trust the developers here and generally look forward to getting the most out of this phone.
BTW, does it integrate well with Googlemail for contacts and calendaring? All my personal stuff is on there. Or do you have to use the SIM or memory and proprietary apps?
Also, do most market apps utilise the WM UI or does the HD2's skin kick in and make the experience more lush?
Thanks again
SC

Iphone 4 slower then HD2 yeah right> hahaha

Googlemail works fine mate just set it up as an outlook account and the mail will be pushed instead of searched for every hour or so, my contacts and calender entries sync fine from gmail.
and @brushednwhite check the specs

You can integrate with google as an exchange server and sync calendar/email/etc. There's a thread in the T-mobile HD2 forums about it, I use an actual Exchange account so Gmail's just sync'd as an additional email account. It's pretty versatile.
As for the UI, each application has its own. Sense UI is just a front end for HTC's applications and menu skins. There are applications that have the same look though, and you can change/replace anything in the default WinMo menus anyway - I have no problem with 6.5's look myself.
Rooting Android isn't really comparable to WinMo - you may have to disable security warnings to install unsigned apps, but the highly recommended BSB Tweaks will do that for you. Hard SPL is the closest to rooting, it basically lets you install custom ROMs and radios. I have no problem with the stock ROM myself, and it's the first time that's been the case for me - your mileage may vary.
brushednwhite said:
Iphone 4 slower then HD2 yeah right> hahaha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a totally helpful and impartial reply!

M3PH said:
I'm gonna be honest here, bud. The hd2 probably isn't for you. It is essentially a tweakers phone. here's why:
The lushus front end you speak of is painfully slow out of the box and to get it running smoothly you need to install a couple of apps (a 3d driver patch and a program to force the cpu to run at full speed all the time).
The facebook app is ok but i would not call it excellent and that's after you install the update from MS marketplace.
Opera 9.7 is a solid browser and if you want flash have a look at skyfire or opera 10.
The GPS rocks as long you configure windows to use it properly and get the latest version of google maps. The inbuilt mp3 player sucks and sounds like a 3 year old bashing saucepans with a wooden spoon (this is coming from a partially deaf person so it's bad) there are alternatives but none of the ones i tried sounded much better until i installed SRS WOWHD 2.1 for windows mobile.
I did check to see if you could get evernote for windows mobile and you can. The reminder system is as good as outlook 2010 but you can't split your contacts into groups. Although, coz it's windows mobile exchange integration is flawless and supports ssl secured direct push (and if you have exchange 2010 and outlook 2010 you can enjoy having your text messages viewable in outlook on the pc)
For video you'll probably want to look at tcpmp or it's big brother coreplayer and WM includes the MS rss feed application.
I love the Leo but i'm an IT engineer and messing about with computer hardware and software is what i do for a living (and for fun). A lot of people find it irritating because they have a lot of problems with it, or they find the battery life is too short but from my experience it is because they are just not IT literate enough to deal with the small glitches, that 9 times out of 10, they themselves have caused.
So to summarise, if you want a quiet life, aren't interesting in tweaking or modifying your phone and want all the features on your wish list get the desire. If you want a half assed attempt at a phone, that only lets you do one thing at a time and locks you into 2 different proprietry technologies, get the iPhone and if you love tweaking and modding, want the freedom to do anything you want with your device, a massive screen and a phone so fast that, once tweaked a little, could beat the holy hell out of that windows 98 desktop you had back in the day, get a HD2
P.S. If you do get a hd2 the first thing you should do is get the office mobile 2010 update from ms because it's not included by default and is much better than OM 2007
P.P.S. Just to put my speed statement into context. The iPhone 4 which is as yet unreleased still won't be as fast as the Leo which is almost a year on the market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@M3PH, what program(s) did you use to crank up the CPU speed on the HD2? Been looking for one but could do with some advice on what programs/tweaks to use
Thanks

why not keep your gf's phone and buy her something else to use?

sam29792 said:
@M3PH, what program(s) did you use to crank up the CPU speed on the HD2? Been looking for one but could do with some advice on what programs/tweaks to use
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The programe you are looking for is LeoCpuSpeed v3.
brushednwhite said:
Iphone 4 slower then HD2 yeah right> hahaha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's certainly no faster.
I'd be inclined to agree with M3PH's summary of the HD2. Given the choice now I'd go for an Android based OS. Not to say I don't love my HD2 and WM 6.5.x. But it does seem dated in comparison. How about getting the more expensive phone, selling and getting an unlocked say, Desire?

Spacechimp said:
.....EDIT: I should add that I've checked out loads of HD2 reviews and the concensus seems to be that the front end is really quick n slick, but ultimately it's still a WinMo OS - the former looks great and certainly looks the part, but does the latter really cause "problems?"
EDIT: I've also read that the HD2 can develop lag/hanging - but I guess every phone can. Is there a fix to this? I've heard that flashing the ROM can sort this, but returning the phone to HTC seems OTT to me. What say you? Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally i love WM. The lag/hanging you speak of was there for me from the moment i turned the phone on for the first time and it is caused by the that lovely UI (sense). The way to solve it is to increase the filsesystem cache, use LCS to remove the autoscaling on the CPU and then set the clock speed to the maximum. I then went off and installed chainfire's 3D driver patch and tweaked the screen BPP. There are some other performance tweaks that i did but there is a thread full of them (BSB tweaks has most of them).
The sms app has major performance issues but there are newer versions available on the forum that you can install. Version 2015 seems to be the best.
I've i had the choice again i would still buy the Leo over anything else but i do recommend it to people thinking of getting one, that aren't nessecarily that patient, with words of caution.
Anyway, i'm off to burn a few litres of nitro fuel and annoy the neighbours with my poorly silenced r/c car (it's a big boys toy )

M3PH said:
Personally i love WM. The lag/hanging you speak of was there for me from the moment i turned the phone on for the first time and it is caused by the that lovely UI (sense). The way to solve it is to increase the filsesystem cache, use LCS to remove the autoscaling on the CPU and then set the clock speed to the maximum. I then went off and installed chainfire's 3D driver patch and tweaked the screen BPP. There are some other performance tweaks that i did but there is a thread full of them (BSB tweaks has most of them).
The sms app has major performance issues but there are newer versions available on the forum that you can install. Version 2015 seems to be the best.
I've i had the choice again i would still buy the Leo over anything else but i do recommend it to people thinking of getting one, that aren't nessecarily that patient, with words of caution.
Anyway, i'm off to burn a few litres of nitro fuel and annoy the neighbours with my poorly silenced r/c car (it's a big boys toy )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to let you know of a different experience...
I've never experience the lag spoken of and have never needed to set my HD2 to run it's CPU at full all the time.. (i understand thats what the CPU speed tweak does but may be wrong)
Likewise my SMS app never lags... (depends how many sms's you keep i guess)
I have installed a custom ROM (its really easy my 3 yr old could manage it) and have never looked back.
More stability, extra features and generally faster than the stock ROM.
The unofficially app stores are available. (o-market is the common one) and coupled with the windows app store means you can get nearly anything.. not to mention all the other apps that are available on XDA!!
It's a great phone and you can spend your time tweaking it or just use it.. mine's fast and stable with it's custom ROM.. no need to tweak it further.....

crispy514 said:
Just to let you know of a different experience...
I've never experience the lag spoken of and have never needed to set my HD2 to run it's CPU at full all the time.. (i understand thats what the CPU speed tweak does but may be wrong)
Likewise my SMS app never lags... (depends how many sms's you keep i guess)
I have installed a custom ROM (its really easy my 3 yr old could manage it) and have never looked back.
More stability, extra features and generally faster than the stock ROM.
The unofficially app stores are available. (o-market is the common one) and coupled with the windows app store means you can get nearly anything.. not to mention all the other apps that are available on XDA!!
It's a great phone and you can spend your time tweaking it or just use it.. mine's fast and stable with it's custom ROM.. no need to tweak it further.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with the custom rom bit and the lag disappeared on the stock rom once i had tweaked a lil (the one that really help is a tweak to allow manila/sense more memory to use) i will always have sms lag has i have over 5000 messages in my database and the most popular contact has a little over half of that to herself .

M3PH said:
I totally agree with the custom rom bit and the lag disappeared on the stock rom once i had tweaked a lil (the one that really help is a tweak to allow manila/sense more memory to use) i will always have sms lag has i have over 5000 messages in my database and the most popular contact has a little over half of that to herself .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I'd have sms lag with that many texts!!

Thanks all.
I'll see how it performs when it arrives and use the CPU tweak etc if necessary.
It looks like a very capable phone out of the box, so I guess I won't be wanting to customise too much - but the odd performance/functionality tweak may well be on the menu.
Cheers
SC

Get a HTC Desire. A Hero with HD2 power!!
Online it is cheaper than the HD2, so you could sell the HD2 & buy a Desire.

Spacechimp said:
It looks like a very capable phone out of the box, so I guess I won't be wanting to customise too much - but the odd performance/functionality tweak may well be on the menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, don't fool yourself, I give you a month tops before the allure of flashing a decent custom ROM sucks you in!

Kalavere said:
Haha, don't fool yourself, I give you a month tops before the allure of flashing a decent custom ROM sucks you in!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I said "I guess" ... I don't want to go as deep as playing with custom ROMs but you never know ...

omar302 said:
Get a HTC Desire. A Hero with HD2 power!!
Online it is cheaper than the HD2, so you could sell the HD2 & buy a Desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the Hero for nearly a year and in a way fancy a change, even though the Desire is a very sorted device. Besides, the missus is kind of giving me her Hero because she doesn't get on with it - so I'll stick 2.1 on that if and when it finally arrives.

Related

Anyone swapping his Touch HD for HTC hero?

Just wondering? I'm playing with the thought of selling my Touch HD. Getting a bit tired of Windows Mobile. Anyone else?
But I'm asking myself, if I can live with the smaller screen and lower resolution?
Im thinking of doing the exact same and my main concerns are screen size and lack of radio. The radio, which i don't use that often, i can overcome by using web radio. But the screen size and resolution is making me consider it carefully.
I've only been using windows mobile for about 6 months but im getting bored. I've looked at all the apps i use and theirs alternatives available on android for all of them.
Has anyone here swapped WinMo for Android?
trice1921 said:
Im thinking of doing the exact same and my main concerns are screen size and lack of radio. The radio, which i don't use that often, i can overcome by using web radio. But the screen size and resolution is making me consider it carefully.
I've only been using windows mobile for about 6 months but im getting bored. I've looked at all the apps i use and theirs alternatives available on android for all of them.
Has anyone here swapped WinMo for Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did. I have used winmob for 9 years :S Seriously.
I moved to Android Hero on release day last week.
I sent the Android back on Monday and am back on winmob.
There are (currently) apps and 'things' that Android cannot do to the same quality as winmob. I don't for a minute think that situation will be like that forever, but, atm, Satnav is not as good on Android. Syncing is not as good on Android. I missed the hardware keyboard (not a prob for an ex-touch HD user of course )
cbailey said:
I did. I have used winmob for 9 years :S Seriously.
I moved to Android Hero on release day last week.
I sent the Android back on Monday and am back on winmob.
There are (currently) apps and 'things' that Android cannot do to the same quality as winmob. I don't for a minute think that situation will be like that forever, but, atm, Satnav is not as good on Android. Syncing is not as good on Android. I missed the hardware keyboard (not a prob for an ex-touch HD user of course )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have TomTom on my touch hd but i think i've used it once so satnav software shouldn't be an issue. You mention syncing, what do you mean?
Thanks for the input.
trice1921 said:
I have TomTom on my touch hd but i think i've used it once so satnav software shouldn't be an issue. You mention syncing, what do you mean?
Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Sync is not the best.. well.. its crap.
I sync with Googlemail though, always have and then I have an app on my computer which syncs with Outlook and Googlemail, so don't need to plug the phone in, I have no issues!
CoPilot is a good piece of kit, IF you have bought it. The pirate versions have many many flaws in it, so I presume this is what you mean by that? Obviously TomTom has been around a bit longer so had many years to get its quirks out of its system, I remember it on Symbian and my old XDA II, it was pants then, but nice now.
Just moved from many years on WinMo to Android and I'll give it that, its different. There are some things it won't do as good as a WinMo device, but other things it will excel on. But lets face it, its different, its not WinMo, its not Apple, hence why I want it, something different.
Not everyone will want it, but I've had a Touch HD and moved to a TP2 (0.2" screen difference) then moved to this and its fine, screen size is spot on for me, no complaints at all.
I bought Copilot on Friday night and tested it on a purely vanilla Android config. Nothing else installed. It crashed each time I exited. It also did not have my second tested postcode in it. Thankfully the refund function on Android marketplace worked very well, otherwise that would have been another £25.99 wasted.
More serious was the crashing though. Just kept locking up when I exited the app.
I too run Outlook sync>googlemail on my PC. But, for contracts this is a convoluted process of exporting to a .csv > gmail. It's a kludge and not good. The calendar via gmail syncs well but not the contacts. Pretty basic stuff and should be resolved at first hit and capable locally.
Under Vista, HTC sync hardly works, it's pointless being there. All these issues are exactly why apple is sewing up the market. Their stuff is much more user friendly. I have never had an iphone and probably never will, but fundamental issues that affect the user experience such as the ability to sync are essential for the success of a phone. As I was used to Activesync in Winmob land and that worked seamlessly, why would anyone struggle with an equivalent that doesn't work?
Hero displays a great insight to the future of open phone OSs. It's really exciting to experience. When the flaws are resolved I will be back on board for sure
My main problem is the size of the on-screen keyboard. I've been using palm-held devices to write for years now, so the keys on the Hero are just too damned small. If an Android handset came out with a display the same size as the HD, I would be very tempted. If there's an application on the Market that lets you actually edit Word-type files...
trice1921 said:
Im thinking of doing the exact same and my main concerns are screen size and lack of radio. The radio, which i don't use that often, i can overcome by using web radio. But the screen size and resolution is making me consider it carefully.
I've only been using windows mobile for about 6 months but im getting bored. I've looked at all the apps i use and theirs alternatives available on android for all of them.
Has anyone here swapped WinMo for Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did - but I still have the WM device but am not using. I am bored of WM for now. I will continue to use android as its a fresh and exciting to try something new and a great change, which ill get even better when I start customising the device more.
cbailey said:
I did. I have used winmob for 9 years :S Seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously! nine years?
I presume you include your Pocket PC experience with that as WM has only be out six
ive been using windows since the original SPV. I've pretty much had every device ever released from HTC. Just sold my HD and got the Hero - I dont think I will be going back to windows again - unless something spectacular happens in Windows 7!
R3PUBL1K said:
Seriously! nine years?
I presume you include your Pocket PC experience with that as WM has only be out six
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, PPC as well as. I am pwoppa old school (just old really!)
I always had a soft spot for the SP5. I still have one of those and it gets use when I am on a night out, ie, more portable but still carrying the details I need.
Thats the way I feel winwiz, so do other people I know fortunate enough to have the G1.
I have been using a PDA since Apple's newton days and progressed to my first PocketPC in 2000 (Compaq) and on to my first WM device which was the SPV M600 (HTC Prophet) which is still in use now. The Trinity was next SPV M700 (also still in use) and then last year I got a Hong Kong version of the Diamond.
During my time with these devices the experience has nearly been the same thanks to the user interface. The Hero and android is a welcome change, although there are things I will miss with WM - I look forward to the further developments of the Android OS and the missing things with WM will soon appear in one form or another.
R3PUBL1K said:
the missing things with WM will soon appear in one form or another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is for sure. These are exciting times.
They need a direct sync for Outlook Contacts, call me crazy but I don't trust Google with my contact data and personally I don't like anyone else sharing my contact information with them or anyone else. Once you give them that data for free it's theirs, I'm not looking for complete anonymity but sharing my contact information is just a step away from giving them my checkbook, tax information and SSN. They have a really cool service and it's "free"... too bad people aren't taking account of what they are actually paying.
Rant /off
I am looking very seriously at getting a Hero though, I've had the Star Trek for quite a few years... (got it running WM6.1 now) and while cool. I'm looking forward to messing with Andriod and seeing what happens with the development of Andriod Apps/Utils in the community.
i had the touch hd and tytn 2 and they are all top notch phones....for me tho winmo phones are very precise in getting whatver you want done fast and efficeintly but they lack and excitement or fun while using them. hero i feel has just about put the two together making it enjoyable but efficient. dnt think i could go back to winmo and be happy about it....... the difference in screen size for me isnt really an issue i get on fine with smaller and th ehtc hero offers 3 different keyboard layouts for those who are used to a hard keyboard. obviously personal opinion differs but mines thumbs up to android......give it a go.....you only live once!
trice1921 said:
Has anyone here swapped WinMo for Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using 4 HTC WM smartphones over the past years. i got bored after a month with my htc diamond so i sold it and buyed a nokia e71 (symbian). Used it till now. In a few days my HTC Hero will be delivered.
I am certain that Android and HTC fit together very good and its getting the only competitive platform beside the iphone os.
menov321 said:
i had the touch hd and tytn 2 and they are all top notch phones....for me tho winmo phones are very precise in getting whatver you want done fast and efficeintly but they lack and excitement or fun while using them. hero i feel has just about put the two together making it enjoyable but efficient. dnt think i could go back to winmo and be happy about it....... the difference in screen size for me isnt really an issue i get on fine with smaller and th ehtc hero offers 3 different keyboard layouts for those who are used to a hard keyboard. obviously personal opinion differs but mines thumbs up to android......give it a go.....you only live once!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, screen size is my main apprehension. If that works out, maybe I'm going to get a hero.
I have a Touch HD and have been considering a switch to Hero. The main thing that stops me is that I rely on a couple of Java apps that run under Winmo but wont run on Hero. For the rest, I think the trade offs are probably worth it.
Rip HD. Sort of.
Just got my Hero(HD's going to the wife) and like any other device out there at the moment(and probably forever, sadly) it is not perfect. Having said that, I don't think I'll miss my HD that much.
That's exactly what i've done. Sold my hd and now waiting for my hero to arrive - hopefully tomorrow. Then il report back to say If I think it was worth it.
I much prefer the look of android tho.
I'm in the same boat as you guys - thinking about trading my HD in for a Hero. As soon as I saw how good Android was, I had been desperately hoping someone would port Android to the HD, but that as it doesn't look like that will happen now, I think I might take the plunge for a Hero.
Of course, like all of you, my main concerns are with the screen, and also the on screen keyboard. I'm using FingeKeyboard 2.1 on WM and it's fantastic, I doubt HTCs keyboard on the Hero will come close.
That said, I'm bored of winmo, and I organise everything online through google anyway, so switching to Android seems to make sense. I also like the idea of an app store, and whilst MS is slowly working on that, I'd rather have something run by google instead of MS.
Guess I should take the plunge!

[Question] Is HTC HD2 Worth it?

I'm pretty much looking for a long term phone, looking forward to watching movies, playing games, surfing the net, etc. I've used Xperia X1 (was great for a while, but little to no official support), the iPhone 3g (quick, way less laggier than the X1, great for mindless games to kill time)
Guess what I am asking is, is HTC HD2 worth the buck? $500 SGD (About uhm 250 Euros) for the phone (incl 2-year plan)
As you can see from my signature I've had a LOT of phones in my time, but never been very happy with one for very long.
Finally , at least for me, the HD2 will be something I'm going to own a very long time to come. It really does everything you could want in a phone/media player/comms/office/game device...all be it with a good bit of the expected modding and tweaking that comes with WinMo And if you can get it as cheap as €250 then I wouldn't think twice, go for it.
But remember my analogy for having a HD2/Leo. It's like having a child.
You have the painful labour pains of paying for it (€700 in most places). The joy of holding it for the first time (unboxing it)
Then like a child, you need to teach it how to work properly (modding and reg editing). Also like a growing child, you need to put up with it's little annoyances now and then (the odd bugs that need fixing). After that, you need to teach it to be interesting, (add apps, themes etc) Basically if you're willing to put in the work it's going to be worth every penny/cent
Thanks for the quick response! Appreciated! Yup, one thing I love about WinMo devices is the huge community(Actually the HTC Community) which allows me to pretty much customize the phone Another question, is there any major bugs/flaws that I might be concerned about? Because I've wanted this phone ever since the rumours surfaced and the hype made all the more irresistable lol
Yes, the HD2 is worth every penny!
There are a few flaws out of the box yes. Some have speaker issues, screen over/under sensitive, pinkeye camera, and a few more, all of which can be fixed with some reg edits and a few cab files. You can find all the fixes and tweaks Here.
The only as yet unfixed problem is the SMS issue. Some people (not me) who have over 200 or so SMSs (why don't people use the delete button?) notice a slow down when replying. But who uses SMS anymore in this modern age of emails, twitters, Google wave, Facebook and what not Anyways for the SMS issue I think there is a workaround until HTC come up with a patch.
jagnet said:
As you can see from my signature I've had a LOT of phones in my time, but never been very happy with one for very long.
Finally , at least for me, the HD2 will be something I'm going to own a very long time to come. It really does everything you could want in a phone/media player/comms/office/game device...all be it with a good bit of the expected modding and tweaking that comes with WinMo And if you can get it as cheap as €250 then I wouldn't think twice, go for it.
But remember my analogy for having a HD2/Leo. It's like having a child.
You have the painful labour pains of paying for it (€700 in most places). The joy of holding it for the first time (unboxing it)
Then like a child, you need to teach it how to work properly (modding and reg editing). Also like a growing child, you need to put up with it's little annoyances now and then (the odd bugs that need fixing). After that, you need to teach it to be interesting, (add apps, themes etc) Basically if you're willing to put in the work it's going to be worth every penny/cent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
700 euros in most places??.. no way
But to stay on topic.. imagine when it is summer.. how will you carry your Leo with you?.. so I find that a better case in the package would have been absolutely no luxury!
Then you have the software flaws.. device.exe sometimes crashes the phone totally.. the htcmessage performance.. the camera... seems to me that Leo had to be released..
seems to me like a business decision.. release it now albeit with software flaws and fix them later.. it turned out to be not a bad decision
but.. if you use Leo with navigon (my preferred navigation software) then you will be in for a real treat.. the same if you use it to browse websites.. so as always it depends
on your usage..
Like Jagnet, I've owned a rather odd collection of phones in my life. I've never been keen on Smartphones as I was rather disappointed by them during my little spree of owning them during 2003/04 and was put off since. I went as far as considering "a phone is just a phone, nothing else" and swore by living in the dark ages by avoiding Smartphones (even though I was working as a promoter and technical adviser for Windows Mobile back in 2003/04 >.<).
The HD2 was something that caught my eye earlier this year and is the first phone that I've waited patiently for, it certainly was worth the wait! Apart from the odd niggles you get from the phone such as the SMS bug and the odd lag, the phone works great (lets be honest here, there are always minor niggles with any phone you get, even my Nokia 8800 Arte, retailing at £1100 at the time I got mine had awful bugs which took over 8 months to fix and there are still bugs that remain).
Much fun can be had with the HD2, the great community behind it (you are looking at it now ) and modding. I've spent endless hours customising it to meet my needs. After a few weeks of playing about with registry / system files and hard resetting, I've now got a phone that does everything I want, customed to how I like and works flawlessly...
apart from the bluetooth compatibility issues...
and the battery life incomparable to non-smartphones (however, the HD2 does very well compared to most smartphones on the market)...
and the marketplace which is in need of some love...
and having to change my handset due to a dodgy touchscreen within the first 4 days.
On the games front, you will be disappointed when comparing it to the iPhone but there are a few good games around. On the apps front, if you ignore the Windows Marketplace and Google around, there are plenty of places to buy good apps from. It's just the iPhone has a good app store that consolidates all apps into a nifty marketplace for you to browse.
Windows Mobile needs you to put the effort in ownership, but in many ways, I see it as a good thing. You get the flexibility to do what you want, on phones such as the iPhone, you are controlled to what you can or cannot do unless you "jailbreak". The iPhone is user friendly, everything is setup for you and for those looking to get a phone that does everything the minute you take it out of the box, it is a product for you. The HD2 fairs well with HTC Sense and it's a good starting point for HTC and Windows Mobile, there is still the horrid Windows Mobile 2003 look lurking in the background though.
Thanks for the replies fellas, appreciate it I am getting my HTC HD2 in a couple of hours, and I hope I won't be disappointed I'm pretty much looking forward to unboxing my 'child' (like how jagnet put it Most of all, I'm looking forward to WM7, though from what I've read it might take a while, but as long as it is worth the wait, I'm cool with it...
It really is like a new baby, because you will breast feed it every 2 hours.
Hi Ive had my HD2 for a few days and to be honest its been a difficult transition form my iphone 3GS which was very simple and easy to use but the 3gs is very basic and doesn't allow for real working integrations.
Its been buggy, very slow compared to the 3gs, the keyboad for some weird reason is of center which is a nightmare to type on compare to the 3gs.
The phone isnt as simple to use as the iphone but for some weird reason i still want it and still want to get use to its quirks.
I have another 10 days left to see if i am going to commit to an 18 month contract, just wish i new what the new iphone was going to be like when released in june.
Its like anything personal choice your will either love it, grow to love it (as hopefully i will) or hate it.
Good luck
Worth it?
If you owned an xperia then you have something to go on.
Leo is WM but with the HTC hardware & shell.
I used to own a Ducati.
My experience was, it was sensational to ride, no other bike comes close, but it had to be kept in tune and maintained. Riding it in the traffic to work would put it out of whack and it would need a nice long blat on a country road to make it right again. High performance and superlative handling made it a unique experience.
Where am I going with this?
Oh yes, performance and usability.
Clearly this is the fastest and highest performing pda phone you can get.
This, and the sense ui make it a great experience.
It is not such a good analogy as heavy usage doesn't put it out of tune so much as excessive poor quality 3rd party apps and too many untested mods.
This is partly why the though of an iphone full of crapstore junk turns my stomach, because if it could multiask, it would choke on the garbage it was running.
Sense iu means I can access what I need in a minimun of steps, but with wm6.5 underneath, I can reach down and tune it to do what I want.
Contrary to my analogy, the stock rom on Leo is pretty good, with a few fixes needed, nothing as serious as having to take it back to the store.
As a stock phone it is great, but it can be modified(tuned) to push the performance envelope and make it even more usable.
As a Ducati rider, I found it very hard to step down to anything else, and as a Leo user I'm the same.
The promise of simplicity makes me cringe as it translates to settling for mediocrity.
Mobile phone hand held computers were pioneered by HTC.
This is the latest evolution.
I love the Leo.
@Xaddict; Well said, I just got my HD2 and I'm loving it so far, knowing this community, I am looking forward to the the custom roms/apps that will be available to everyone soon (I hope) And regarding Ducatis, love em, especially the 948
knightrider66 said:
Hi Ive had my HD2 for a few days and to be honest its been a difficult transition form my iphone 3GS which was very simple and easy to use but the 3gs is very basic and doesn't allow for real working integrations.
Its been buggy, very slow compared to the 3gs, the keyboad for some weird reason is of center which is a nightmare to type on compare to the 3gs.
The phone isnt as simple to use as the iphone but for some weird reason i still want it and still want to get use to its quirks.
I have another 10 days left to see if i am going to commit to an 18 month contract, just wish i new what the new iphone was going to be like when released in june.
Its like anything personal choice your will either love it, grow to love it (as hopefully i will) or hate it.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will always be a newer, nicer phone 7 months down the line....you have to commit sometime or you will never own anything!
jagnet said:
There are a few flaws out of the box yes. Some have speaker issues, screen over/under sensitive, pinkeye camera, and a few more, all of which can be fixed with some reg edits and a few cab files. You can find all the fixes and tweaks Here.
The only as yet unfixed problem is the SMS issue. Some people (not me) who have over 200 or so SMSs (why don't people use the delete button?) notice a slow down when replying. But who uses SMS anymore in this modern age of emails, twitters, Google wave, Facebook and what not Anyways for the SMS issue I think there is a workaround until HTC come up with a patch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, firstly there are NO current fixes for the loud call volume or call distortion problems. None whatsoever.
Neither are there any fixes for the over-sensitive keyboard. Yes there is a CAB floating around and it helps to a very small degree with text input but it also makes the screen less sensitive in EVERY app and every screen. This isn't helpful.
Secondly, SMS is still the most popular form of mobile communication....by a country mile....so to try and cover up the fact that the HD2 is severely crippled in this area is laughable!
We need some balance here folks. Yes the HD2 is fantastic for web browsing and video but it is shocking for calls and texts - the mainstay features of a mobile phone. Hopefully HTC will address these problems but it is in no way guaranteed that they will!
theredundant said:
I'm pretty much looking for a long term phone, looking forward to watching movies, playing games, surfing the net, etc. I've used Xperia X1 (was great for a while, but little to no official support), the iPhone 3g (quick, way less laggier than the X1, great for mindless games to kill time)
Guess what I am asking is, is HTC HD2 worth the buck? $500 SGD (About uhm 250 Euros) for the phone (incl 2-year plan)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, no phone is perfect. But IMO, the HD2 is THE device that comes closest to being perfect.
It has some small bugs that will get fixed soon or can be fixed manually, there's different opinions on the keyboard and call quality (some say it's the best ever, some hate it) and Windows Mobile, just like any other OS (iPhone OS, Android, Symbian...) has its flaws as well.
But compared to the problems/shortcomings of other devices, the HD2 has very little issues, great hardware, great software - the closest you can currently get to perfect, IMO.
So yes, it's worth it.
Oh, and don't take sunking101 serious. He's a troll and a whiner, spreading FUD against the HD2 since the first day he entered the forum.
definitely (but i don't have the sms problem and i can charge my phone at work)....
maati said:
Well, no phone is perfect. But IMO, the HD2 is THE device that comes closest to being perfect.
It has some small bugs that will get fixed soon or can be fixed manually, there's different opinions on the keyboard and call quality (some say it's the best ever, some hate it) and Windows Mobile, just like any other OS (iPhone OS, Android, Symbian...) has its flaws as well.
But compared to the problems/shortcomings of other devices, the HD2 has very little issues, great hardware, great software - the closest you can currently get to perfect, IMO.
So yes, it's worth it.
Oh, and don't take sunking101 serious. He's a troll and a whiner, spreading FUD against the HD2 since the first day he entered the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gosh, I actually thought you were making a sane and rational post until I got to the last sentence.
The OP is asking the pros and cons of purchasing an HD2. Therefore all pros and cons are relevant.
As for the HD2 being "the closest you can currently get to perfect" - that is your opinion. Not fact.
sunking101 said:
As for the HD2 being "the closest you can currently get to perfect" - that is your opinion. Not fact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And so is all your whining.
On topic: yes, the HD2 is worth every sigle dime. And yes, it has some shortcomings (which phone doesn't these days with the speed they are propelled into the market). The only problem I have with the HD2 is the speaker volume which is too loud. But, I have to admit that, it got much better after upgrading to the 1.48 ROM.
Off topic: Maybe it's best not to reply anymore to the contributions member sunking101 delivers to this community. Saves a lot of time and yes/no discussions.
It's well worth the price .

Convince me to stay....

I have had the HD2 for a week now and as much as i love it, i am leaning towards returning it for the simple reason that it has windows underneath the hood.
I have had so many problems with trying to keep the data connection alive and setting up synchronisation etc - how i wish this phone had Android-like always on possibilities!
i downloaded the skyfire browser today and was blown away by its ability, but no so much when it tells me you dont have a data connection regularly!
i am sad sad sad today because when i moved my eyes from its ginormous screen to my measly ipod touch i was really unable to browse! the wifi router is brilliant too, when it works
so anyone with pearls of wisdom...convince me to stay
my biggest gripe is that out the box, i have to fiddle around with it so much just to get it to do what every consumer would like it to do - for example the missing task manager, pinch to zoom options etc
if HTC were going to make a phone of this calibre, i wish they didnt feel the need to gag it with winmo
help?
Your first impression is mostly the right one. If you like android more, return your phone ASAP as you've bought a windows phone. Misstakes happen !
lucid said:
Your first impression is mostly the right one. If you like android more, return your phone ASAP as you've bought a windows phone. Misstakes happen !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with lucid. Sounds like this simply isn't the phone for you.
Since there is task manager and pinch to zoom abilities available, it's not winmo that's gagging the phone, but HTC.
Just want you to make sure your gripes are directed at the correct place.
I have zero issues with my data connection.
I am so tired of everyone wising the Leo had shipped with Android instead of Windows Mobile. I was bored this morning and reading the rather negative reviews of the HD2 on Gizmodo and Engadget, and every other comment on those reviews is about how people love the HD2 but wish it had Android. Well, it doesn't.
I understand you actually have experienced problems with your phone, as opposed to those others who seemingly were hoping by some fluke the HD2 would come out with Android instead of WM as advertised. But then you tell us to convince you to stay with the HD2... if you really have a problem then ask for a solution. If the data issue really annoys you then why would you want someone to convince you to stay with something that doesn't serve its intended purpose for you?
I'm guessing many people bought the HD2 on a whim upon seeing the impressive spec sheet, without ever stopping to think that it ships with Windows Mobile and whether they even liked the platform. Were you one of them? Because you can just look for a solution to your data connection loss problem, instead of trying to get us to list for you the reasons why you should stay with the HD2/WM. The pros and cons of the platform are a just a Google search away.
Edit: Also, you want better pinch to zoom support, eh? Then make sure you stay away from the current latest and greatest Android handset - the mighty and revered Motorola Droid. Yeah, it has no pinch to zoom even though it has the hardware for it. See, HTC aren't so evil afterall.
Personally I think the HD2 is awesome, I know its been annoying with so many problems but there is always a fix. I haven't had any problems with the data connection or sync.
I know HTC should be the ones to sort this out instead of us, however everytime I try a new tweak it sorta makes the phone new to me again.
BSB tweaks is amazing btw, I think it should sort out everything you need, pinch to zoom and screen rotate as well as camera tweak and screen sensitivity all in one application.
Im still on the .143 Rom and theres a .201 (or whatever) rom coming out.
Its getting better and better.
I am waiting to see what the google phone has to offer but the HD2 should be able to hold its own especially since wm7 is coming out...whenever that is.
If you are really hating the HD2 then return it and get an android, winmo isnt that bad. Definite improvement if you remember the older models.
Shawn_230 said:
Edit: Also, you want better pinch to zoom support, eh? Then make sure you stay away from the current latest and greatest Android handset - the mighty and revered Motorola Droid. Yeah, it has no pinch to zoom even though it has the hardware for it. See, HTC aren't so evil afterall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha true, I heard the new nexus one doesn't have pinch to zoom either. Actually saying that, they may add it in since it hasn't been released yet.
Everyone bangs-on about Android but has anyone actually lived with an Android device for say a year? No. Who knows what issues and annoyances the platform holds. If it takes off as it appears it will, with everyman and his dog seemingly wanting it, no doubt I will be trying it myself on a handset in the future but right now Win Mo holds no problems for me. The HD2 itself does, but that's for another thread.
First try to be patient and see if you can make the phone work the way you like with the all tweaks around. Have you tried BSB tweaks? most of them are there. For task manager I recommend Showcase, a great solution.
Yeah, there maybe lot's of little issues but most of them can be remedied. If you got it working right, make a full backup with something like spb backup so that everytime something goes wrong and you have to hard reset, you can have everything back in a minute.
And ofcourse better roms will surely come and htc is trying to improve the HD2. Many of the bugs are fixed in the 1.61 rom, have you tried it? not to mention we're so close to custom roms now.
I don't know how familiar you are with windows mobile. If it's your first winmo device, know that one major advantage of winmo over other OSs is that you can tweak and change a lot of things, so there's always hope for better tweaks and better software.
Lastly, if you have tried all I said and there's absolutely no way you can cope with this device, well, I guess it's just not the right device for you.
thank you to everyone that has replied
point taken about leaping without thinking, and yes i guess most issues are resolved by installing tweaks and updates - like u say wotsreallygood, its always getting better and it really is - only today i saw how brilliant it is with flash sites, after installing skyfire browser.
i guess the reason i said convince me to stay is because i want to see light at the end of the tunnel: though there might never be a stable usable android platform on the HD2 i would like to think that most of the creases with the current OS can be ironed out substantially!
and winmo6.5 is a drastic improvement from previous versions - i used to work with old winmo from the times of mda compact III - slowwwwwwwwww in a word
i totally rate HTC as a good phone manufacturer, and i would never buy a motorola even if it had diamonds for keys lol
comments appreciated though, a lot of food for thought!
mightymn said:
First try to be patient and see if you can make the phone work the way you like with the all tweaks around. Have you tried BSB tweaks? most of them are there. For task manager I recommend Showcase, a great solution.
Yeah, there maybe lot's of little issues but most of them can be remedied. If you got it working right, make a full backup with something like spb backup so that everytime something goes wrong and you have to hard reset, you can have everything back in a minute.
And ofcourse better roms will surely come and htc is trying to improve the HD2. Many of the bugs are fixed in the 1.61 rom, have you tried it? not to mention we're so close to custom roms now.
I don't know how familiar you are with windows mobile. If it's your first winmo device, know that one major advantage of winmo over other OSs is that you can tweak and change a lot of things, so there's always hope for better tweaks and better software.
Lastly, if you have tried all I said and there's absolutely no way you can cope with this device, well, I guess it's just not the right device for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi mightmn - thanks - yeah i tried the 1.61 and it seemed to make the device a little unstable for me, so i used the goldcard method and now am using 1.48 - i am yet to install bsb tweaks - i finally managed to work out how to keep my contacts synced but i think that was a problem with my outlook (version 2010 beta apparently this is a known issue and ms will not be supporting winmo sync or something like that?)
i am about to install the BSB tweaks, i think i will keep the phone and worse case scenario for me is that if i do get tired of constantly tweaking and tweaking i shall just sell it lol
And ty for advising on using spb backup, i shall search for that now and keep a regular back up thats very sound advice
Immyl,,
Keep going if you can with all the hints and tweaks on here plus BSB Tweaks. However if you are not getting on with the device then cut your losses and go with something else instead.
I managed to get a 2nd play on the HD2 today and it certainly looked impressive. I have yet to use one on a daily basis so maybe once Father Xmas has been and I get to use one on a daily basis I might well take a hammer to it!
Xperia X10 perhaps?
WB
wacky.banana said:
Immyl,,
Keep going if you can with all the hints and tweaks on here plus BSB Tweaks. However if you are not getting on with the device then cut your losses and go with something else instead.
I managed to get a 2nd play on the HD2 today and it certainly looked impressive. I have yet to use one on a daily basis so maybe once Father Xmas has been and I get to use one on a daily basis I might well take a hammer to it!
Xperia X10 perhaps?
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeh wacky banana i was thinking about whether to wait for the X10 but being on tmobileuk and having worked for them i know more than likely we will be waiting til august to get it even if it launches in march! i am sticking with it and if all else fails there is always ebay...
oh btw one thing that does sway me is being able to connect my ipod to the wifi router ha that is quite a lot of fun
The winmo OS itself is so massive compare to newborns like Android and iOS, that's why it takes time to get around and even more time to get yourself situated in a comfortable position (even if it means countless tweakings). With every tweak and fix, you're suddenly opening up yourself to a whole different level of usability, way more expansive than the other aforementioned OSes. As a child, you start out with tricycles then graduate to a bicycles and at last, automobiles. Each one of those stages has their conveniences and it takes time to ease into them.
If you think it's so hard to handle the OS (or HTC for that matter), take a look at the themes and applications forum and see the countless of people in there happily using their phone through personal customization and tweakings. You can't tell me that all those additions are easily accessible with other OSes (it's possible, but arduous). What I'm trying to say is that, it's a challenge when face with obstacles, but with the help of XDA, the light at the end of the tunnel is just a few clicks away.
With that said, if you still think winmo is the root of all evil and is too complex for you to even maintain data connection (though that sounds more like a service provider problem than the phone itself), feel free to return it and get whatever phone you want.
lude219 said:
The winmo OS itself is so massive compare to newborns like Android and iOS, that's why it takes time to get around and even more time to get yourself situated in a comfortable position (even if it means countless tweakings). With every tweak and fix, you're suddenly opening up yourself to a whole different level of usability, way more expansive than the other aforementioned OSes. As a child, you start out with tricycles then graduate to a bicycles and at last, automobiles. Each one of those stages has their conveniences and it takes time to ease into them.
If you think it's so hard to handle the OS (or HTC for that matter), take a look at the themes and applications forum and see the countless of people in there happily using their phone through personal customization and tweakings. You can't tell me that all those additions are easily accessible with other OSes (it's possible, but arduous). What I'm trying to say is that, it's a challenge when face with obstacles, but with the help of XDA, the light at the end of the tunnel is just a few clicks away.
With that said, if you still think winmo is the root of all evil and is too complex for you to even maintain data connection (though that sounds more like a service provider problem than the phone itself), feel free to return it and get whatever phone you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ty lude219
i think in hindsight i do agree, winmo is a lot easier to manipulate than other OS's - and even though its not always ideal, you cannot deny how powerful it is with quite a wide compatibility list
i am sticking with it for now and shall see where it goes, especially since i here there is a new ROM due soon
You could wait for the HTC Bravo.
BUT
- it maybe won't have multitouch at all, or lagging multitouch like the Hero
- it will lack a bunch of features that you get with Windows Mobile
So what you should do is: Instead of just complaining about shortcomings of the HD2, think about whether other devices would really make it better, or maybe have even more shortcomings - then decide what to do.
I also sometimes get annoyed with the HD2, but then I think of all its advantages over other devices like Android ones ot the iPhone, and in the end I always come to the conclusion that, though the HD2 is not perfect, it definitely is the one that comes closest to perfect for me, so it's the right choice - for me, at least.
The title of this thread is maybe not the right thing to put lol
Nooone needs to convince you to stay mate, if you wanted peoples opinions then thats one thing but if you arent getting on with it and would rather have a different phone or different operating system then thats totally your call and I hope you find whatever combination makes you happy.
Theres plenty of threads stating what people hate and like about the phone and how to tweak the phone and make it perform better so have a read around and then you can decide what you want to do.
Good luck
Stay
I am humbled by the moderate and patient tone of the replies in this thread.
My first instinct is to flame an attitude of 'convince me to stay'.
As it has been eloquently put, winmo is a feature not a drawback.
Too many people seem to have been caught in the crossfire of Giz-shmodo & Enfadget anti-winmo diatribe.
The way I find solutions to any problem is to STAY.
On winmo there are always many ways to skin a cat.
It would be a pity to be on a platform where there is not the possibility to solve problems other than to complain, which rarely works.
I have been using Winmo for many years and the following are my personal opinions so please don't flame me. Truth be told, were it not for the talented developers, chefs, XDA & forum users (XDA & others), I would have moved on a long time ago.
The bigggest problem, imho,is that MS focussed on developing the Winmo OS, handing it over to the Handest maker for a few dollars and thereby "hoped" that the software & hardware would function as a unified solution.
The second issue has been that MS lagged in improving the OS and providing a viable marketing platform to developers. Their are tons of applications available for Winmo, however until recently their did not exist a single unified place to browse, purchase, review and simply install them. As a result Winmo was and to a great degree still is seeing by some as a business OS, one that was driven by how well (or not) it integrated with MS Outlook / Exchange, included office etc. MS has always traded on this perception
As a result of the above, we saw the rise of blackberrys & iphones. Both companies focussed on a single soultion where hardware and software were manufactured as a single unit. Both also focussed on specific solution points, BB on easy, secure access to email / apps and Apple with their product packaging & appstore /itunes integration.
So I ask myself why did I not take the plunge and move to either of these 2 platforms. Simple:
I like the choice I have with Winmo. I can flash Roms, try different radios, install apps from all over, play with the registry etc etc etc.
The HD2 is the first Winmo phone I have had that I can live with as is for the next 2 years. yes it has some issues, however none of them are a real deal breaker.
Until then, I wait patiently for cmonex /olipro and the rest of the team to complete SSPL and for our talented chefs and developers to give us the tools to enjoy our devices that little bit more! So if I were you I would be patient, look beyond the niggles and STAY.
Until Winmo 7 is released and then the fun really begins.

Already thinking of ditching HD2

The hd2 is probably by far one of the most perfect windows mobile phones out there, I've had soo many before it and they were rubbish in terms of performance.
but, the quirkiest problems are really destroying my joy with this phone. I can't seem to get all the apps to work with multiple languages. I can't seem to get a decent battery life when I'm travelling, now I have an extra battery and a heavy Duracell battery pack.
Great camera, yet it's still having the same problems I've had since the beginning of wm phones (slow with low light conditions) and no 720p video recording. There are no decent applications for the life of me. (I've been ruined by that from the iphone)
I hate how WM7 looks, with no skinning allowed, I'm pretty positive I don't want colored boxes to be my home screen. Also the fact that it's receiving less and less support from developers everyday, it simply isn't catching up to anyone anytime soon. (I have the feeling it's going to be delayed, because of the kin disaster)
I'm thinking I'll be selling this phone in approximately 2 months. I'll sell it here if anyone would like it.
Thinking of getting the new Galaxy S series phone, best hardware around with a mature (but not ancient) operating system.
Note: I'm currently in the middle east thats why it seems I've posted this early, it's 3:45pm over here.
ehhhhh,,,, everyone wants something different in a phone. Personally I thought the tmo roms were rubish. I loaded some custom roms and like almost all my problems went away immediately. Not sure about other languages because I'm pretty stupid and can't even speak 1 properly. Support I wouldn't worry about. Yes many people are jumping ship and going to android development but we still have some of the best guys still working with WM. Also a reason we don't have the devs staying with wm is many of the programs are final and work perfect. Why make a 28th wm music player? Android is great and all but I don't see it as great as everyone says. Yes its fast and optimized but its almost a cross between WM and iOS. After every thing I heard about android I was quite surprised when my friends got them and had them locking up and glitching as much if not more then a wimo phone. I almost bought one till my coworker bought an incredible and basically killed his battery in 2 hours listening to pandora, then had to pull the battery after he checked his tweets. I also feel once WP7 comes out it will renew interest in coding for WM. I feel we will see the same stuff we saw in vista and XP where the coders took the best features of Vista and added them to the stable XP OS. I'm hoping we will get the cool WP7 roms and they can whip out the spatula's and blenders and get to work on a frankenstien super os.
The ROMs have saved this phone, but as an Android fanatic, the apps, and ease of discovery/installation of apps has ruined me.
I've got my phone posted and I'm hunting for someone with a Nexus One thats willing to trade with me adding some cash.
I'm not giving this phone away because hardware wise HD2>>>>>>>iphone/nexus one, etc. But if I can't get Android soon I'll be dropping this phone.
But thanks for all the help guys! Its because of this phones quirky issues I discovered this site! lol
4theU said:
The ROMs have saved this phone, but as an Android fanatic, the apps, and ease of discovery/installation of apps has ruined me.
I've got my phone posted and I'm hunting for someone with a Nexus One thats willing to trade with me adding some cash.
I'm not giving this phone away because hardware wise HD2>>>>>>>iphone/nexus one, etc. But if I can't get Android soon I'll be dropping this phone.
But thanks for all the help guys! Its because of this phones quirky issues I discovered this site! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know there are android roms out there for the hd2 right? granted, they BARELY WORK, but in a couple of months, we may be looking at a full blown army of HD2's running android
maxpower097 said:
ehhhhh,,,, everyone wants something different in a phone. Support I wouldn't worry about. Yes many people are jumping ship and going to android development but we still have some of the best guys still working with WM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want a better phone, that's definitely what everybody wants. Not a half-a$$ed phone that goes for the same price as a phone that has god-like script that allows unlimited multitasking with no loss of battery or memory
I feel WMP7 is following the suit of the iphone, having a very limited way to customize, and having people to jailbreak it if they want the full potential of the phone, chasing update after update and looking for compatibility and cracks... that's why i left the iphone... (I had 2g but my family has a 3g and a 3gs)
I feel the android is king right now because it allows enough customization for developers to mess around with, and has great functionality out of the box without having to chase down problems.
Our family consists of 4 HD2s, and 2 iphones. I regret purchasing the hd2s since they have brought me more trouble than ever, my mother asking me about navigation while my brother and father require language packs THAT DOESN'T WORK.
maxpower097 said:
Also a reason we don't have the devs staying with wm is many of the programs are final and work perfect. Why make a 28th wm music player?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, wm6.5 for example, no decent games, no decent applications MADE FOR IT SPECIFICALLY. Before, I thought backwards compatibility is a positive, I'm quickly realizing that it's the worst negative. Companies are getting lazy by creating something thats made for a wm2003 but compatible up to WM 6.5.... how is that even possible? At least upgrade the graphics for newer phones.
HTC is even embarrassed by wm6.5, they skinned everything from top to bottom.
HD2 was dead on arrival in my book, it packs a punch in hardware, yet it will be obsolete within months.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to burn anyone here, I really appreciate the work everyone has done. I donated money and time testing, commenting and helping.
Metallic-Force said:
I want a better phone, that's definitely what everybody wants. Not a half-a$$ed phone that goes for the same price as a phone that has god-like script that allows unlimited multitasking with no loss of battery or memory
I feel WMP7 is following the suit of the iphone, having a very limited way to customize, and having people to jailbreak it if they want the full potential of the phone, chasing update after update and looking for compatibility and cracks... that's why i left the iphone... (I had 2g but my family has a 3g and a 3gs)
I feel the android is king right now because it allows enough customization for developers to mess around with, and has great functionality out of the box without having to chase down problems.
Our family consists of 4 HD2s, and 2 iphones. I regret purchasing the hd2s since they have brought me more trouble than ever, my mother asking me about navigation while my brother and father require language packs THAT DOESN'T WORK.
Well, wm6.5 for example, no decent games, no decent applications MADE FOR IT SPECIFICALLY. Before, I thought backwards compatibility is a positive, I'm quickly realizing that it's the worst negative. Companies are getting lazy by creating something thats made for a wm2003 but compatible up to WM 6.5.... how is that even possible? At least upgrade the graphics for newer phones.
HTC is even embarrassed by wm6.5, they skinned everything from top to bottom.
HD2 was dead on arrival in my book, it packs a punch in hardware, yet it will be obsolete within months.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to burn anyone here, I really appreciate the work everyone has done. I donated money and time testing, commenting and helping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using custom ROMs, the hd2 is superior to the iphone 3gs or Droid in my experience. i have only used those two other phones to compare.
crisisinthecity said:
Using custom ROMs, the hd2 is superior to the iphone 3gs or Droid in my experience. i have only used those two other phones to compare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree the phone is superior, the apps/ or lack of apps for this phone and its ****ty OS are going to be the death of it.
Even with the custom ROMs, I still have quirks like dropping 3G coverage, text messages coming in out of order, apps crashing, occasional restart (admittedly rare with the custom ROMs)
I have spent HOURS just to get this phone to do what it should do out of the box. And now that its finally working great, I discover it was pretty much in vain because I can't even fill cookie's home tabs with apps that I want and would use.
I think it really just comes down to WM is not as user friendly as Android or iphone. They have basically taken the computer out of the phone and made it super easy for anyone to install anything. I don't know what you guys are talking about with android phones and battery life. All the android phones I've seen running HD2 specs kill the battery in half the time of the HD2. I see it everyday at work when I'm the only one with a phone at the end of the shift. Now about your 3G issues that sounds like your carrier or location issues. I'm rock solid (H) 24/7 365. Take into account how android going to be when they get upwards of 500 phones on the market and glitches and bugs. WM runs on thousands of phones with minimal bugs. Android from what I've seen has about the same amount of bugs but with many fewer phones. iPhones do tend to be less or non glitchy because they only support 4 phones, much like their PC's. I think if you take the time to properly hook your HD2 up and learn a bit more about these new gen phones you'll be happy. You need to search out WM apps, but there are literally tons of them out there to do anything you could imagine.Most of these new inovation droid and iOS are claiming to invent have been on WM for ages. Please please please try out Kumars rom, experiment with a couple different tmo radio's for your area, and keep track of what is setting of your bugs. Usually you just need to change one program or setting and it fixes itself.
Going on like 16 days without a reboot! Yeeehaw. My tab slider does have a touch of lag though now but I'm gonnna hold out and see how long I can run it without a reboot.
One more thing, people with preformance issues have found replacing the SD card with a fast one works wonders. I haven't tried it yet but I am gonna toss a 8giger I have lying around in it to check it out.
4theU said:
While I agree the phone is superior, the apps/ or lack of apps for this phone and its ****ty OS are going to be the death of it.
Even with the custom ROMs, I still have quirks like dropping 3G coverage, text messages coming in out of order, apps crashing, occasional restart (admittedly rare with the custom ROMs)
I have spent HOURS just to get this phone to do what it should do out of the box. And now that its finally working great, I discover it was pretty much in vain because I can't even fill cookie's home tabs with apps that I want and would use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How many apps do you want? How many apps do you need?
I have about 500 apps in my WinMo download folder and about 50 on my phone, don't use a third of them ...
Shear number of apps do not make them better .. Now I am not bashing the Android, it is a good platform, but the "Appstore" argument is so Iphone-ish.
I am not going to try and "Talk You Into", keeping your HD2 it is your phone you need a phone you can use, if the HD2 is not for you then it is not, BUT it is not a ****ty OS, that might be your opinion, but for the people that use WinMo on a daily basis and want the power of and flexibility of the WinMo OS it works great for them.
Android, simple interface, great, fast , fairly stable, locked down, big brother back door, MUST have gmail account to activate the phone, so that "Big Brother" can access your phone remotely.
WinMo, More complicated interface more like a portable PC than a Phone, customizable right down to the OS by the user, no external account needed, no "big brother" install apps you want and not have them removed, as of June 2010 Microsoft still has a 90.18 market share of PC's, so WinMo is directly compatible with 90.18% of the PC's in the market.
watcher64 said:
How many apps do you want? How many apps do you need?
I have about 500 apps in my WinMo download folder and about 50 on my phone, don't use a third of them ...
Shear number of apps do not make them better .. Now I am not bashing the Android, it is a good platform, but the "Appstore" argument is so Iphone-ish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps like "fring", yeah we have that app... from 2005. Tt doesn't have video conferencing... that's a major feature missing.
It's as simple as that, we have the same apps, but they are outdated and lack many features that we'rent possible before.
How is the "appstore" argument so "Iphone-ish" thats the worst argument I ever heard. It's soo much more superior than what we have now.
You sound like a person that steals applications more than he buys... 500 apps, yeah and you bought them? I highly doubt you bought 5. App stores are a godsend for developers, they make a decent amount of money and it protects their investments, encouraging them to create more applications. That's why the app store is so successful. You're only complaining since you've barely bought any apps for the PC or your PPC, so you find the app store "iphone-ish" w.e that means.
I admit I'm being too harsh for no reason, and I also admit I don't usually buy them, but for decent applications I do happily purchase.
These are the only decent applications I use often, but I wish there was more, and I wish the prices were more reasonable, 30$ for an app? are you serious? The prices for the ppc applications are overblown. Spending over 100$ on applications on a phone is a little ridiculous. I haven't spent that amount on applications for my laptop.
- Handy Safe Pro (bought it twice, for different phones)
- SPB Traveller
- SPB TV
- SPB Backup (Fantastic application)
- SPB Wallet (Waste of time and money)
- Office Mobile (Hell no I didn't buy it, can't believe they actually started charging for it)
watcher64 said:
Android, simple interface, great, fast , fairly stable, locked down, big brother back door, MUST have gmail account to activate the phone, so that "Big Brother" can access your phone remotely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's another poor argument, "Big Brother" or google is already pretty much in your life. Why do you think the google advertisements are all about websites related to what you search for or websites you visited in the past.
watcher64 said:
WinMo, More complicated interface more like a portable PC than a Phone, customizable right down to the OS by the user, no external account needed, no "big brother" install apps you want and not have them removed, as of June 2010 Microsoft still has a 90.18 market share of PC's, so WinMo is directly compatible with 90.18% of the PC's in the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone complained about "google remotely removing apps" I'm sure google has other reasons why it has that capability, apple and palm have it too... and guess what? wmp7 is going to have it as well. The future is less and less private, this is something we will have to deal with, it's not some evil conspiracy.
Google is compatible with 100% of the computers since it doesn't even need one, so what are you getting at?
sell it, buy android phone
/thread
So....
How much do you want for your crappy phone? Let me know. I might know of someone you can pwn it off on. they would love you long time.
2 months and it's theirs
maxpower097 said:
I'm pretty stupid and can't even speak 1 properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love how some people hate the HD2 and others love it. It's funny to hear people's stories, because it seems almost random, the chances of you having an HD2 that works flawlessly or doesn't work at all...
I came from the rooted G1 and I love this phone. Rooting android and flashing custom ROM's became nothing but a headache for me. My phone would never work right and every time I flashed a new ROM (with dozens of "flashed ROM, it's FLYING, fastest ever!!!" replies in the threads getting me all hyped up) phone would run smoothly for maybe a day but after that nothing but hang's, random reboots, f/c's, etc...
With my HD2, it's been the opposite: OS runs smoothly, I can pretty much do what I want (except for stable flash support in Opera, for some reason that still alludes people...none of those opera builds with flash support ran as well as stock opera and fixoperaflash is all buggy..very irritating) and I don't have to continually reboot or wipe the phone.
Yet I read people's comments that talk about how the phone is virtually a big paperweight right out of the box...go figure...
tresanus said:
sell it, buy android phone
/thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, since my stock HD2 has had none of the problems this person mentioned and has actually been a very good phone why sell it? Obviously, there is a variable here that is not common with all HD2's, so why give up so easily?
Wait till you get your new one, use the stock 2.13 and see how that goes. If you still can't stand it, then try cooked ROM, and if you still can't stomach the site of that 4.3" screen, then go ahead and sell it...
Mod Edit: Post removed read the rules and follow them, take this as a warning
Metallic-Force said:
I want a better phone, that's definitely what everybody wants. Not a half-a$$ed phone that goes for the same price as a phone that has god-like script that allows unlimited multitasking with no loss of battery or memory....Well, wm6.5 for example, no decent games, no decent applications MADE FOR IT SPECIFICALLY. Before, I thought backwards compatibility is a positive, I'm quickly realizing that it's the worst negative. Companies are getting lazy by creating something thats made for a wm2003 but compatible up to WM 6.5.... how is that even possible? At least upgrade the graphics for newer phones.
HTC is even embarrassed by wm6.5, they skinned everything from top to bottom.
HD2 was dead on arrival in my book, it packs a punch in hardware, yet it will be obsolete within months.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to burn anyone here, I really appreciate the work everyone has done. I donated money and time testing, commenting and helping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can definitely agree with Metallic-Force on most of his arguments. Even though this phone can do just about anything and everything, and even though it can run smoothly with custom ROMS, and even though it has awesome hardware......I just still can't look past the fact that the apps for this phone looks like absolute crap. Not only are there limited apps made for the HD2 specifically, but most of the apps that we can get for this phone (via marketplace, omarket, or warez) looks like the sh*tiest graphics I've ever seen on a mobile phone. I wish HTC would skin all the apps available for this phone as well as they did for the OS. I'm not even talking about the "crazy 3d" games that rock on this phone (cause I don't care for them), I'm talking about simple apps or games like Pandora or Moorhun. Microsoft or HTC needs to invest more money into the devolopers if they have to to make this OS more appealing app-wise. That way we can all finally say how great it is to own a WM phone.
OK, done venting.
Stable Android.
See post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=729495
I don't see whee you guys are getting android phones are so bullet proof. Everyone I've seen has reset problems and lock up problems. Thats just gonna keep getting worse as they release new phone after new phone. Personally on wimo I can't live without.
1. PSX emulator,
2. Core Player,
3. Mortplayer
4. Hava Player
5. PDF reader
6. Wifi Router
7. GPS weather Radar
and lots more. When iphone or android can run a 2gb divx with AAC audio without charging $20 for an app call me. Till then its wimo.
lol... I'm going be receiving my hd2 this week, and your ditching it. It's funny, but android isn't that awesome the people make it out to be. That's why I'm going back to windows mobile ( windows phone).
Anyway, good luck.

Wanting to go to WP7 from Android.. Advice?

I'm wanting to try and get the HTC Trophy, and wanted to get some thoughts from you guys. I apologize if this is already started, but I couldn't find it... Anyway:
-Is Google lacking from WP7?
As in, can I integrate my Google Account with WP7 as in use my gmail for Email, Google Music as media store, etc... What would the limits of that be?
-Is the HTC Trophy a good/reliable device?
I played with one at the Verizon store and I loved it, but I never used it beyond tinkering around to check it out. Does the phone keep a consistent service and good network speeds? Should I wait for the next WP7 device to come to Verizon?
-Camera?
I use my x2 as a personal camera, It has 8 MP and can record 720p video. That sounds good, but truth be told, the Video recorder SUX and the only way to get 720p is to put CM7 on it(and we just got that ROM like in January; 8 months after the release of the x2) and it is still a little buggy. The Camera however is pretty nice, I like it a lot anyway.... How does the Trophy Perform in the Camera area?
-Market Apps?
Is there a decent amount of games and market apps available for WP7? All that would really matter to me is a few key apps that I use on a regular basis; one of which is Evernote. I use this as my lyric notebook for my music that I write for when I'm on the road or away from a notepad, I can use my phone to jot down a few lines of a song or try to complete a song when I get spare time. YouTube.. I think I saw this on the phone by default but can't quite remember. And just a good assortment of games. Also, is the paid/free apps a good combination and not ridiculous prices? Android offers a great combination of free and paid, on the iPhone, the only thing I see that is decent is like 4+ dollars so just wondering on what the users feel about the market?
-Rooting?
Is the development pretty spiffy with the HTC Trophy? Android offers Rooting and I see something like HSPC or w/e for WP7. What exactly is this and what would the benefits be if I tried to do this?
-Overall opinions?
For those that came from Android can you let me know what the biggest 'let-go' you had to take? and just an overall opinion of your satisfaction with WP7.
I thank anyone that would answer these. If anyone knows of someone that would want to sell the HTC Trophy or trade for a Droid x2, would you please PM me or post on here. I'm a contributor for the Droid x2 and many users can vouch for me in the Droid x2 area of XDA. My ROM is headlined on DroidForums.net in their forum area for the x2 and it is also here on XDA(which is where it is mainly supported).
Again, Thank you for your time,
Peperm1nt
Peperm1nt said:
-Is Google lacking from WP7?
As in, can I integrate my Google Account with WP7 as in use my gmail for Email, Google Music as media store, etc... What would the limits of that be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Account works fine. You can use it to sync your calender, contacts, email, etc. Google Music and such... still no support as far as I know, its not a service I use.
User snickler is working on an app for Google Music called "CloudMuzik." I don't know anything about it, but.. well.. its there.
I take normal mp3's and load up my phone with music via Zune sync, and that works just great for me. The Last.fm app rocks imo... I love using that to stream music.
Peperm1nt said:
-Is the HTC Trophy a good/reliable device?
I played with one at the Verizon store and I loved it, but I never used it beyond tinkering around to check it out. Does the phone keep a consistent service and good network speeds? Should I wait for the next WP7 device to come to Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HTC Trophy is much better with reception and speed then my last two phones, the HTC Eris (Android) and Touch Pro2(WM6.5). I do still feel that the network speed is being held back by something, but I have yet to test it right next to a VZW tower to see if its simply my imagination.
When I was using the shipping radio (that came with NoDo), the phone had issues staying in 3G mode and switching from 1X to 3G was really slow and iffy, but this is resolved with Mango v1+ radios installed.
However, due to my situation of using my phone as my primary internet connection, it sits in the window sill whenever I am at home. To improve reception in situations like that, I have a beast of a heavy duty case on my Trophy (that and since the phone has a tenancy to fall off my window sill with my dogs go crazy...). This makes a huge difference in my reception.
Peperm1nt said:
-Camera?
I use my x2 as a personal camera, It has 8 MP and can record 720p video. That sounds good, but truth be told, the Video recorder SUX and the only way to get 720p is to put CM7 on it(and we just got that ROM like in January; 8 months after the release of the x2) and it is still a little buggy. The Camera however is pretty nice, I like it a lot anyway.... How does the Trophy Perform in the Camera area?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the camera is great for still shots, but keeping it clean is key. The 720p video recording leaves much to be desired, as it seems speed is much slower then the 640x480 mode.
Peperm1nt said:
-Market Apps?
Is there a decent amount of games and market apps available for WP7? All that would really matter to me is a few key apps that I use on a regular basis; one of which is Evernote. I use this as my lyric notebook for my music that I write for when I'm on the road or away from a notepad, I can use my phone to jot down a few lines of a song or try to complete a song when I get spare time. YouTube.. I think I saw this on the phone by default but can't quite remember. And just a good assortment of games. Also, is the paid/free apps a good combination and not ridiculous prices? Android offers a great combination of free and paid, on the iPhone, the only thing I see that is decent is like 4+ dollars so just wondering on what the users feel about the market?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Evernote appears to be available for the phone, and is rated currently at 3.5 stars. I think that most apps are decently priced. The most I have paid for an app is $9.99 (Natural Japanese), but for what the app does, its still a fantastic value. I do think that the games market is fairly mature now. You can still get classic games like Angry Birds (that they even give XBL points if your into that!), with new games/apps launching every day.
There is also the "Bazarr" app store for full unlocked phones that has awesome stuff like Opera for WM6.5 ported to work on WP7.
Peperm1nt said:
-Rooting?
Is the development pretty spiffy with the HTC Trophy? Android offers Rooting and I see something like HSPC or w/e for WP7. What exactly is this and what would the benefits be if I tried to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Unlocking" this phone by installing HSPL is a straight forward process (I wrote a guide to doing it on the Verizon Trophy), and it is WELL worth doing. HSPL allows flashing of 3rd party roms to the phone, but the Verizon Trophy (and Sprint Arrive) were only made available on 2-15-2012, so no public roms have hit for the Verizon Trophy yet. You can private message mwang to test DFT Freedom for Verizon Trophy... it's worth it.
Peperm1nt said:
-Overall opinions?
For those that came from Android can you let me know what the biggest 'let-go' you had to take? and just an overall opinion of your satisfaction with WP7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first moved to Android, the biggest let go was Internet tethering. Using the stock Verizon rom, tethering is not enabled.
However, with the advent of HSPL, DFT Freedom for Verizon Trophy includes Internet Sharing, so the phone can be used as a 5 device hot spot.. and it is awesome. Compared to using my Eris as a hotspot, its just sweet. The rooted free tether on Android is crap compared to Mango's built in support, as NAT support is completely supported (so my XBox 360 logs on and works perfect vs not working at all).
The other big draw back for me was no Swype. I wouldn't mind it so much if Verizon would of gotten the HTC Arrive (GoldC) instead of the Trophy (SparkW), but the advantage of the Trophy is that it is a world phone, so you can still put a GSM Sim card in and roll with that later if you wanted to switch carriers or travel.
Thanks for the reply. I really want to get this phone, but no one is messaging me back for trades or buys. Do you know anyone?
Btw, I play xbox all the time, so the xbl integration has me too.
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
Unfortunately no, I know no one that wants to trade. I know I have mine, and I am keeping it close. lol
Lol its fine,i get paid monday, probable going to get one on ebay.
Forgot to ask this in the op:
Battery Life:
I use my x2 throughout the day moderately...one full charge gives me 8 to 15 hours of battery life. I disconnect the auto sync and try my best to increase battery life, but the display DRAINS the life horribly...like 1 hour of display will put the phone to 10 % or lower. What are the thoughts on that?
Development:
I develop for android. What is the developm went like on wp7?
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
The Trophy produces similar battery results for me, but I charge it everyday and I live in a fringe region. I turned on Mango's battery savor feature when the power is low, but I haven't really been able to use it yet.
Battery life on the Trophy is okay... You should be able to make it through the day no problems with moderate usage. If you're on the edge or frequently go out of service the phone will drain very quickly. On the flip side there are days where I rarely use the phone, and with the stock battery it will go almost 3 days with no usage.
One thing that I found out is that the EVO / ERIS battery is almost the same... It fits in the phone and the phone will use it, but the back cover won't snap on correctly. If you were looking for a larger battery the first thing you'll need is an extended battery cover. Also, the snaps for the regular trophy and Verizon are slightly different which makes it even harder to find the cover. I think you can just break a few of them off and it will fit.
The camera is okay but it's definitely nothing special. If you have good light and still shots it will produce a decent image. It's about on par with the D2 which I think is slightly worse than the X2.
The one thing that I'm kind of missing is a few networks apps. There really isn't a good app to do things like ping, wifi scanning, or speed tests. Since there is no flash you can't just load up speedtest.net in the browser.
For music I would say that using Zune works fairly well. It loads the songs very quickly over wifi, and if you had it setup to sync automatically you should be able to just put songs into the folder and the phone will download them whenever you're at home.
Youtube is not officially supported but at one time there was an HTC Youtube app but I think they had to pull it from the market. It looks like there is an app called youtube pro that gets good reviews and is free. The nice thing about the marketplace is that there are a lot of decent free games and apps like there is on android, but there are also trials of paid apps so you can try it before you decide to purchase.
My overall satisfaction with the phone is pretty high. It's definitely a step up from a D2. Just using it for simple tasks it performs a lot better although there are still some gotchas that you might have to work around. (If you use skydrive putting documents on the phone is easy, if you don't want to use skydrive then it becomes a lot harder)
That's odd.. my Eris and Touch Pro2 batteries are identical in size and fit... but neither are hi-capacity.
Thanks guys.. ordering one for Monday hopefully unless I can get one for trade on here
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
Found a trophy!! Lol hopefully be deving here soon.
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
Awesome. I hope it works well for you. Poke around the dev forum for guides on HSPL for SparkW...
I will soon be writing a guide to keeping the newest (Mango V2) radio while still retaining HSPL. I will probably be adding it to my radio guide sometime today/this weekend. I need to upload some files/roms that will be needed to make it work.
Also, a word of warning, do NOT install any updates via Zune!!! I recently discovered when performing the Zune upgrades that the Mango V2 drivers might disable the availability to flash roms the normal way, and force using the GoldCard method (which I will add to my HSPL guide soon enough).
Thanks for the heads up.
In android we can sbf to fix bootloops and make our phone stock for warranties and such. Also to get on specific kernels or android versions. How exactly does wp7 do this or is there an option? Also HTC has unlocked bootloaders in android. Is it the same here... most of this will probably get answered when I get the phone. Just wanting to get a start in the right direction.. again, thank you for the help.
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
My HSPL guide covers returning to stock at the end. It involves loading the bootloader and running DFT's unlocker tool, but flashing the OSPL (Original SPL). You then flash the factory rom as I have outlined.
Peperm1nt said:
Thanks for the heads up.
In android we can sbf to fix bootloops and make our phone stock for warranties and such. Also to get on specific kernels or android versions. How exactly does wp7 do this or is there an option? Also HTC has unlocked bootloaders in android. Is it the same here... most of this will probably get answered when I get the phone. Just wanting to get a start in the right direction.. again, thank you for the help.
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
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hey peperm1nt, at Microsoft Stores, they are letting you trade in any smartphone, android, iphone, blackberry, etc towards a free, new in box, no contract WP7. you can choose from the trophy, titan, focus, radar or nokia 710 until Mar 29. link (http://slickdeals.net/f/4120241-Swa...-contract-Microsoft-Store-B-M-Only-thru-3-29?)
Thanks, there aren't any microsoft stores in my area, but I got the Trophy the past week.
Thanks tho for the info
BTW, I wish I had got this phone instead of my x2!!! like seriously, I love this phone. Only problem is the graphix of games aren't as smooth as my x2, but i guess thats the difference between nVidea & qualcomm. But other than that, this phone rox!!! UI is so smooth and the Facebook integration is nice. I'm looking into the whole modding aspect of this, still haven't got the grasp of 'rooting' this phone and making buckups to later restore if something goes wrong, my ultimate question is this:
In android you can 'sbf'(flash the phone with stock firmware). Is that a possiblity on here?
I read the restore thread; is that the equivilent to what I'm looking for?
Yes, in the HSPL thread, restoring to stock is the equivalent. You replace the moded SPL (HSPL) with the OSPL (or original SPL), and then flash a stock rom.
As for backup, I have yet to find a backup method that works after flashing a different rom, or even flashing back to a rom that I made the backup on. I'm not sure if this is an issue with CDMA Trophy or not.... perhaps I should start a thread on this since you brought it up (yes... I think I will do that now). lol
I'll look into the setup once I get the 'guts' to HSPL'ing my device, and break into the file structure. Once, I do that, I'll look at making a script or something to auto install like android does with the system folder, if this is possible or w/e.
I'm sorry for bringing android into this, But I'm not good with terminology on the WP Platform yet, but I do this to compare and show you what I'm talking about if that makes since.
Well, your Windows Live login that you used will have a record of your apps you installed, much like your Google login for the Play Store. Your contacts are on whichever account you choose, I keep mine on my Gmail account still, since I switch between my Trophy and other Android device. I also have an unlocked HD7 that I use for travel.
Just like when you were first learning to root Android, you followed the guides step by step. As long as you do the same here, you will be fine. DFT has done some awesome work, and WP7 would prolly not be where it is without them.
If you have your Trophy activated, you can use it as a hotspot, but only with HSPL and a custom rom. I never bothered doing it with my Trophy, but it's definitely an incredible thing to have, especially if you have any wifi devices you carry around.
Its great to see the development for the Trophy taking place, I had one last year but moved onto another OS/Device. Considering a return to the Trophy again and will read a bit more into the custom ROM's.

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