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I am the proud owner of a HTC touch HD phone, and a very happy owner too. I got it just before Christmas, and it is currently running on Duttys rom, 2.6. All in all my best phone so far.
As many, I have always looked upon the iPhone as one of the absolute best phones ever made, in my opinion it more or less revolutionized how we look upon a phone’s capabilities. However, since I have never had an iPhone, I found it hard to argument for or against it. Therefore I have bought one (used), which will arrive by mail within the next few days. When I get it, I will use it for a month and keep posting here how it goes and how it performs compared to the touch HD. Why do I do this? Because I’m curious, and because I want to see what all the hype is about, and most of all, i hate the fact that everyone is *****ing about which product is the best, but only a few has actually had and used the two phones for a longer period of time.
So far I bought the phone (iPhone 3g), and I am waiting for it to arrive. I must say the wait is long I have downloaded iTunes, so all I’m waiting for right now, is the phone itself.
Besides the normal things you do with a phone (calling, sms), I daily use my touch HD for web browsing, email correspondence and video and music. All of which performs perfectly (thank you coreplayer ). So this is what I plan to use the iPhone for, since touch HD is a windows mobile phone, I rely upon activesync to take care of my outlook contacts and calendar notes, we’ll see how well iTunes does this.
I also like the fact that it is so easy to get what you want with windows mobile, mostly through you guys here at xda.
When the phone arrives I’ll post my first experiences.
Update: 15-4-2009
It'll arrive tomorrow. Thanks for all the replys
Update 17-4-2009
First impressions
So i’ve used the phone for all in all 5-6 hours so far, so I can only tell you about my first impressions. I had some problems getting my music from my pc to the phone, it turned out that you have to enable music synchronization in itunes, in order to get anything transferred to the phone. First thing I did was to transfer my music through explorer (drag and drop), more or less the exact same way as with touch hd, this isn’t allowed, so I had to go through itunes, convert all my music, find out how to get it from itunes to the phone, before I could listen to music. In all in all much more difficult than I had believed, but now I know how it works, so hopefully this won’t be an issue in the future. I can see the problem for those who has many more songs than I had on my laptop, it’s takes a long time to convert to the itunes format, so this would be a major drawback. Why can’t I just put my mp3’s directly on the phone?
This being said, I really like the flow on the phone, the framerate compared to touch hd, is better, giving a better feel. However, I’ve been a bit annoyed by the sensitivity of the screen; it probably takes some getting used to.
Finally, when I used the phone this morning in my way to work, I had some issues with the 3G connection. My touch hd has no problems what so ever when I am using to surf and check mails and so on, the iphone used 3G for 3 minutes, and then I found myself browsing using edge, which is in my opinion is not an option. This is something that will be an annoyance if it keeps up (I’m hoping it was a onetime only).
As for the browsing itself, iphone surpasses the touch hd. Opera is simply to slow compared to safari, but if I can’t get a proper connection, there really is no choice.
One thing that really impressed though was the app store. All though you have to put in your credit card information in order to create an account, it is really easy to browse through all the apps, find what you like and install it. And there really are many different and funny apps, which all in all lifts the overall user value.
I’ll return in next week with more views. Thanks for all the responses
04-05-2009
The first many days.
Hey, sorry for the delay. Been busy at work, but finally found some time to write some more. I have had and used the phone for quite some time by now, it performs as expected. All though I begin to see the small bugs, which most people forget to mention when recommending the iphone. I read somewhere that the iPhone simply “just works”. That is not entirely true, yes I have never had a smartphone that performs as well as the iPhone, it has the least amounts of crashes and so on. However, to say that it simply works, is wrong. When I browse the web, safari hangs on every load, so you have to wait for the entire page to load until you start navigating. Furthermore the video player used in safari has a tendency to hang a lot when you are viewing a longer video, and especially if wifi is turned on. But still, the browser is the best mobile browser so far. Opera hangs/stalls/dies a lot too, and of the two browsers, I prefer safari. There’s still a long way to go until web browsing on the mobile is perfect.
The phone itself has rebooted three times, one time in a game and the two other times it just stalled and went black. Odd… Again if I compare to touch hd, it is more or less the same. My touch hd also died a lot of times, and the one thing that annoyed me most on a windows mobile device, is the fact that the memory isn’t flushed correctly. To many times you have to do a hard reboot, in order to get the memory cleared and to get good performance again.
I mentioned the connection problems earlier, or the lack of connection… Well it hasn’t improved, when you are traveling, the phone looses connection so many times it’s a major problem. Sometimes safari stops working when the connection is lost. Damn, that annoys me… So why don’t you just use wifi? Because with wifi turned on, the battery is used up in no time at all. This brings me to the next issue: The battery. I have to charge the phone one time every day, even with wifi turned off. “Then you use the phone a lot” you might say, and the answer would be: “yes I do, but that’s what the iphone is all about…”. If you don’t use the iphone for all the things that are so nice on the phone, why use it at all. I listen to music, surf the web, check emails, and play games on it daily. And this results in a charge a day. So all in all, the battery performance is poor. Furthermore if you are playing a game, and receive a phonecall, the game is shut down, without save, stupid…
This brings me to the app store, this is the one thing that makes me praise the iPhone. Yes we have the same on windows mobile, but not so approachable and comprehensive. Installing a game or a program could be much much easier on winmo. There is only one big flaw in the app store, if you are connected through 3G, there is a max on 10 mb per download. So if you find a game that’s larger than 10 mb, you have to wait to download it. Why??? 10 mb on 3g shouldn’t be a problem… By the way, you gotta love the facebook app… All though you can’t connect a contact to its facebook profile, it’s still a nice app
The GPS is not entirely accurate, but still usable. I won’t say that much about the gps since I don’t use it allot. And google maps is more or less the same as on touch hd.
The last thing: I saw many movies on touch HD. I have ripped many of my dvd’s and converted them to divx. On touch hd you just transfer the movie to the phone and you can see it. On iphone I have to convert it to some stupid format in order to see it. I hate having movies in so many different formats, and hate to rely upon itunes.
I’ll write a new post in the near future, and as for the guy who commented on my description on to much sensitivity: Sorry, but that’s just my experience of the phone
Samoht2003 said:
I am the proud owner of a HTC touch HD phone, and a very happy owner too. I got it just before Christmas, and it is currently running on Duttys rom, 2.6. All in all my best phone so far.
As many, I have always looked upon the iPhone as one of the absolute best phones ever made, in my opinion it more or less revolutionized how we look upon a phone’s capabilities. However, since I have never had an iPhone, I found it hard to argument for or against it. Therefore I have bought one (used), which will arrive by mail within the next few days. When I get it, I will use it for a month and keep posting here how it goes and how it performs compared to the touch HD. Why do I do this? Because I’m curious, and because I want to see what all the hype is about, and most of all, i hate the fact that everyone is *****ing about which product is the best, but only a few has actually had and used the two phones for a longer period of time.
So far I bought the phone (iPhone 3g), and I am waiting for it to arrive. I must say the wait is long I have downloaded iTunes, so all I’m waiting for right now, is the phone itself.
Besides the normal things you do with a phone (calling, sms), I daily use my touch HD for web browsing, email correspondence and video and music. All of which performs perfectly (thank you coreplayer ). So this is what I plan to use the iPhone for, since touch HD is a windows mobile phone, I rely upon activesync to take care of my outlook contacts and calendar notes, we’ll see how well iTunes does this.
I also like the fact that it is so easy to get what you want with windows mobile, mostly through you guys here at xda.
When the phone arrives I’ll post my first experiences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking forward to hear your experinces
Yep look forward to it!
Not sure it was revolutionary... the LG Prada was a full touch screen phone before the iPhone.. Apple just packaged it well... Steve jobs could box a turd and sell it. pretty much like Apples claim on the mouse! That was actually Xerox's baby!
Looking forward to your experience and an honest review / comparison between the 2!
I actually have both (HTC Touch HD and iPhone 3g), too
Yeah, waiting to see your comments...
We are talking about Apples & Oranges here!!! Arent we?
the real great things on the iphone are aps! they are realy cool, good looking, running smooth... but only one at a time with a verry bad cam and no mms... (yet )
if it had a better cam, MMS (soon) eand a real GPS (and GPS software) i would defintly forget my HD!
way to go pal, will be glad to read your reviews.
bouyaka said:
the real great things on the iphone are aps! they are realy cool, good looking, running smooth... but only one at a time with a verry bad cam and no mms... (yet )
if it had a better cam, MMS (soon) eand a real GPS (and GPS software) i would defintly forget my HD!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh my.
Jesus phone has a lot of shortcomings, but MMS? Who cares? It's the silliest thing since plastic toothpick. Why do you want to pay your operator for this surrogate email?
And do you really consider HD's camera usable?
daraj said:
We are talking about Apples & Oranges here!!! Arent we?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really.... I'll explain...
I've just sold my iPhone 3G and bought a HD. My reasons were...
1) I get bored and I had the iPhone since last July and fancied a change
2) I wanted expandable memory
3) I think the iPhone is looking dated now. Controversial I'm sure...
4) I now want stereo Bluetooth streaming for a new iO Play car kit I have had fitted
I used to change phones far too often and had 13 in a year once, but the iPhone is the longest serving handset I've had for a while. Despite not being bleeding edge when it comes to the specification, the way you interact with it, the simplicity, the fluidity and the Apple ecosystem all added up to make it a revolutionary phone. There is a reason why every new touch-screen phone is an iPhone killer.
The email client is superb, web browsing superb and media playback superb. And the text inputs auto-correction is very intelligent and doesn't just look out for spelling mistakes, but patterns in typing which it relates to possible words.
The App store is great, but getting full of rubbish making the genuinely useful stuff harder to find. Rumours are there will be a premier store soon. The O2 contracts are great, as the free data and free WiFi access are superbly implemented, switching between seamlessly. And once you've authenticated with the free WiFi once that's all you ever have to do. I could walk into a Starbucks, McDonalds, Costa, Hotel, Airport etc etc and it would connect to the WiFi before I even realised I was in a hotspot.
But it's not the Jesus phone everyone seems to think. And I hate, really, really hate the fan-boy love affair some people have with it... to the point I was embarrassed by it sometimes.
"No, I don't want to talk to you about your iPhone, stranger...."
The limitations in the iPhone are 75% software based, most of which will be corrected in version 3 of the software. Things like additional Bluetooth profiles, landscape text input in all apps, MMS, tethering etc will be welcome additions.
And that's one of the things that bothered me. These are simple things that really should be included as standard.
Things like the poor camera didn't bother me. I mean, Sony Ericsson have been putting rubbish cameras in phones they didn't market as imaging devices for years. If the camera is the main focus, there are much better options (like buying a camera).
The lack of expandable memory is a big deal for a multimedia phone though. I can understand the marketing / product reasons behind it, but even that seems to contradict the 'one device to do everything' approach Apple take with this.
Now to go back to my original point, Apples Vs Oranges, the HD and the iPhone aren't that different. Both have huge strengths, both have huge weaknesses, both have massive amounts in common. The thing that differs between them is down to the person buying it. What do you want from a phone....?
Out of the box usability and slickness? iPhone.
Endless tinkering, customisation and free reign of what you do with your phone? Touch HD
But both have the capability of matching the other in every single aspect. There is pretty much nothing that you can do with one that you can't with the other. Exactly the same can be said for Windows PC operating systems Vs Apple Mac OS X. Funnily enough, most of what I have said above can be applied in some way to that argument too.
So, the other downsides to the iPhone.... (some of this is entirely personal opinion).
Text input needs work in it's current form. The keys are just too small. This is made up by the excellent auto-correction, but it's still poor. And you can't add in new keyboards without jailbreaking, which brings me to..
Restrictive approach to third party applications. Apples closed-door approach has no benefits. I originally thought it would be good as it would ensure reliability and stability, but there are some terribly shaky applications in the App Store. I see no benefit in this for consumers and the only way around involves invalidating your warranty.
Hardware restrictions - No expandable memory, as above. Screen size Vs chassis size and screen resolution are falling behind the competition. Poor build quality is another factor that's not uncommon either.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys Windows Mobile, I predict you will get frustrated with the iPhones shortfalls and will be jailbreaking it within a day.
Robster83 said:
Not really.... I'll explain...
I've just sold my iPhone 3G and bought a HD. My reasons were...
1) I get bored and I had the iPhone since last July and fancied a change
2) I wanted expandable memory
3) I think the iPhone is looking dated now. Controversial I'm sure...
4) I now want stereo Bluetooth streaming for a new iO Play car kit I have had fitted
I used to change phones far too often and had 13 in a year once, but the iPhone is the longest serving handset I've had for a while. Despite not being bleeding edge when it comes to the specification, the way you interact with it, the simplicity, the fluidity and the Apple ecosystem all added up to make it a revolutionary phone. There is a reason why every new touch-screen phone is an iPhone killer.
The email client is superb, web browsing superb and media playback superb. And the text inputs auto-correction is very intelligent and doesn't just look out for spelling mistakes, but patterns in typing which it relates to possible words.
The App store is great, but getting full of rubbish making the genuinely useful stuff harder to find. Rumours are there will be a premier store soon. The O2 contracts are great, as the free data and free WiFi access are superbly implemented, switching between seamlessly. And once you've authenticated with the free WiFi once that's all you ever have to do. I could walk into a Starbucks, McDonalds, Costa, Hotel, Airport etc etc and it would connect to the WiFi before I even realised I was in a hotspot.
But it's not the Jesus phone everyone seems to think. And I hate, really, really hate the fan-boy love affair some people have with it... to the point I was embarrassed by it sometimes.
"No, I don't want to talk to you about your iPhone, stranger...."
The limitations in the iPhone are 75% software based, most of which will be corrected in version 3 of the software. Things like additional Bluetooth profiles, landscape text input in all apps, MMS, tethering etc will be welcome additions.
And that's one of the things that bothered me. These are simple things that really should be included as standard.
Things like the poor camera didn't bother me. I mean, Sony Ericsson have been putting rubbish cameras in phones they didn't market as imaging devices for years. If the camera is the main focus, there are much better options (like buying a camera).
The lack of expandable memory is a big deal for a multimedia phone though. I can understand the marketing / product reasons behind it, but even that seems to contradict the 'one device to do everything' approach Apple take with this.
Now to go back to my original point, Apples Vs Oranges, the HD and the iPhone aren't that different. Both have huge strengths, both have huge weaknesses, both have massive amounts in common. The thing that differs between them is down to the person buying it. What do you want from a phone....?
Out of the box usability and slickness? iPhone.
Endless tinkering, customisation and free reign of what you do with your phone? Touch HD
But both have the capability of matching the other in every single aspect. There is pretty much nothing that you can do with one that you can't with the other. Exactly the same can be said for Windows PC operating systems Vs Apple Mac OS X. Funnily enough, most of what I have said above can be applied in some way to that argument too.
So, the other downsides to the iPhone.... (some of this is entirely personal opinion).
Text input needs work in it's current form. The keys are just too small. This is made up by the excellent auto-correction, but it's still poor. And you can't add in new keyboards without jailbreaking, which brings me to..
Restrictive approach to third party applications. Apples closed-door approach has no benefits. I originally thought it would be good as it would ensure reliability and stability, but there are some terribly shaky applications in the App Store. I see no benefit in this for consumers and the only way around involves invalidating your warranty.
Hardware restrictions - No expandable memory, as above. Screen size Vs chassis size and screen resolution are falling behind the competition. Poor build quality is another factor that's not uncommon either.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys Windows Mobile, I predict you will get frustrated with the iPhones shortfalls and will be jailbreaking it within a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I meant by that is the fact the HD is highly customizable to the bones, heck you can even run an Android OS on it. Iphone is a very closed OS with very little tweaks allowed by Apple ( Not talking about Jailbreaking) From the usability to the screen to the memory to the GPS vs A-GPS.. from the camera to almost everything in both phones are different. I consider the Iphone a weekend phone While the HD is a very business oriented phone that gets the job done and good.
Not sure If I can really say they are very similar. Just my 2 cents
daraj said:
What I meant by that is the fact the HD is highly customizable to the bones, heck you can even run an Android OS on it. Iphone is a very closed OS with very little tweaks allowed by Apple ( Not talking about Jailbreaking) From the usability to the screen to the memory to the GPS vs A-GPS.. from the camera to almost everything in both phones are different. I consider the Iphone a weekend phone While the HD is a very business oriented phone that gets the job done and good.
Not sure If I can really say they are very similar. Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's fair enough. But when you sit the two side-by-side and ask them to do the same task, there isn't much difference. If you think about what you do with your phone, I'd bet the HD does things in a very similar way to the iPhone. There are only so many ways to construct a text message, make a call or browse the internet on a touch screen mobile
The one big thing I didn't mention that you have just reminded me of, is the touch screen. The capacitive screen on the iPhone is much more responsive in use.
Robster83 said:
That's fair enough. But when you sit the two side-by-side and ask them to do the same task, there isn't much difference. If you think about what you do with your phone, I'd bet the HD does things in a very similar way to the iPhone. There are only so many ways to construct a text message, make a call or browse the internet on a touch screen mobile
The one big thing I didn't mention that you have just reminded me of, is the touch screen. The capacitive screen on the iPhone is much more responsive in use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. WVGA on HD and VGA on Iphone ( Not sure if its even VGA)
pretty much it boils down to what you do with it. I have both devices. I use the HD and the iphone sits on the desk. I am an admin at my company and we are windows based the windows mobile device it the best phone for us. While I like the Iphone it is not praticle for me to use. I hav not found any thing that I do on the iphone that I gave not been able to find an app that works on the hd doing the same or better. I really like being able to change the rom on my phone and customise it. Can't really do that with the iphone. And I think the display on the HD is much better.
daraj said:
Yup. WVGA on HD and VGA on Iphone ( Not sure if its even VGA)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Capacitive Vs Resistive is a bigger aspect than the resolution which, I agree, the iPhone falls short of. It is HVGA (320x480).
You have to be crazy to think that the iphone hasnt changed the mobile industry. It is an amazingly capable, intuitive and beautiful device to boot compared to these piece of lard htc OS's (the stock ones).
I owned about 15 HTC/Winmo devices starting with the SPV c500 and culminating in the Diamond as soon as it came out and got an iphone 3g at around the same time. None of the roms could come close to the intrinsic slickness, speed and support for the iphone, I jailbroke it, and was blown away and it became my primary device. However the iphone is currently mediacentric and not a buisness/professional phone and I needed an OQO UMPC to carry around as well but it doesnt claim to be anything else in fairness.
I have been quite impressed by the cooked Win 6.5 roms and skyfire recently though, and I am going to buy the HTC Touch Pro2 when it comes out as I need to use programs like word with a built in keyboard and tv out facility and perhaps retire my UMPC/laptops. This forum is also a great feature in choosing a HTC phone for customisation.
And for people who say the iphone doesnt have microsd, poor camera etc... How many crippled HTC devices have we seen? The iphone has been in a class of its own untill recent catch up devices.
imperiallight said:
And for people who say the iphone doesnt have microsd, poor camera etc... How many crippled HTC devices have we seen? The iphone has been in a class of its own untill recent catch up devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Expandability is (in my opinion) essential for any electronic devices. I have an 8GB card in my HD now, and I plan on upgrading to a 32GB soon by simply inserting a memory card. iPhone...can't do that. You have to buy a new phone to do so. I also have a spare battery which I can swap out when I am on the road and can't charge my phone...like camping perhaps. Iphone...can't. I like to copy and paste text from one program to another (multitasking). iPhone...can't. The HD 5MP camera takes great pictures which can be geo tagged with great accuracy. iPhone (until v2.0 comes out)...can't. Sure, there are some HD's out there that are crippled or bricked. Why? Because people that have the mental capacity to appreciate a multitasking device/computer actually like to open the hood and tweak it. Sure, iPhone apps may seem to run smoother. But that's because of the lack of multitasking! My HD (or any other Windows Mobile device) runs processes and applications in the background so you can do more and be more productive.
Honestly, do a side by side comparison of the HD and the iPhone. And I am not talking software, I mean hardware. We can debate applications all day, but it's the hardware that defines the capabilities. If you want a list of HD hardware features then I will post them for you.
*double post*
DerrickD2,
You have misunderstood the thrust of my post, that the iphone was/is a trailblazing and revolutionary device in the mobile sector. It seems anywhere bar this 'nerdy spec-hugging' forum that its not too hard to accept. The Touch HD is a better device in my opinion too as like I already stated, other companies have played catch up. There is no need to tell me its hardware specs.
But to pick up on a few points:
* Upgradeable SD is important, it annoys me to only have 16gb but I can stream content off free iphone optimised filestores available, some providing 10gb a go. Not ideal but workable.
* Spare battery, well the iphones battery is pretty decent and lasts for many years. If you want to keep the battery charged you can do it on the fly by adding these 'double your battery' packs and their ilk/cases when you are running low and you dont even 'have to swap the battery':
http://us.kensington.com/html/15462.html
* You can cut and paste text in jailbroken phones within the app. You can mulitask too, to an extent on JB phones although I dont know if it's sytemwide cut and paste (prob. not)
* Megapixels aren't everything on a camera. Its about the lens too. The 2MP camera of the iphone image quality is known to be quite decent, better than most 3.2MP HTC offerings but I agree it should have a better camera.
* Like I said the iphone isn't productivity centred and its probably why they dont consider multitasking a crucial feature but from what I understand its processor is faster than any HTC phone. Jailbroken iphones can run background apps too but obviously native apps dont support this.
We can debate applications all day, but it's the hardware that defines the capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is so contentious! Hardware can define the capabilites and software/OS/User experience can define the capabilties! It depends on what the consumer needs. Horses for course's!
It is with great sadness that I make this post. I've enjoyed reading XDA multiple times per day on average for the past year since I got my G1 and participating modestly when I could. I rooted my phone and got immense pleasure from tweaking it and installing various cooked ROMs thanks to the help of all the participants here and was even inspired enough to create and donate a font based on the Android logo back to the community to show my appreciation.
Due to the introduction of the Motorola Droid (are we still calling it a Sholes?) on Verizon, I've switched to get on a family plan with my wife for a reduced mobile bill, better reception/coverage and a pretty sweet Android phone in the bargain. Since my understanding is that XDA is HTC only, I don't suppose I'll be hanging out here much, at least after I find a place for Droid modders to congregate that is.
Since all of you probably love your G1 as much as I do, I thought I'd share a few initial impressions of the new phone and the switch.
Right now, this phone alone does not justify a switch to Verizon in my humble opinion. I know some will disagree with me (this phone (Droid) has a lot of fans already), but being spoiled by the speed and reliability of CM 4.2.3.1 on top of the tremendous customization potential, "stepping up" to the faster hardware of the Droid and the Android 2.0 OS (this version is VERY vanilla) is not all that much of an improvement frankly (yet).
If anything, it's made me realize how amazing Cyanogen's work really is, when I found that a lot of the minor bugs I found annoying in CM 4.2.3.1 are actually in the Android OS itself, even 2.0. Nothing major, just annoying lag at re-drawing the home screen icons, some oddball behavior around stereo bluetooth use still (although the Droid is VASTLY improved as far as signal strength with my Sony HBH-IS800 headphones), some browser weirdness (despite the mostly quite functional Flash support) and some other oddities. I hadn't used a stock OS in so long that I just assumed all those bugs were in the modded ROMs, not the Android OS proper.
The overall feel of the Droid is pretty great. Slicker and sleeker and more solid feeling than the G1, but with a slider action that is a little too resistive and not decisive enough (no real "break-over" action to pop it all the way open or closed), a sub-par direction pad for non-touch-screen navigation and a weirdly laid out keyboard (all of which I will presumably get used to). The screen is beautiful and large, but under-utilized when it comes to placing icons on home screens (still the same number of columns and rows) and I miss the presence of hard buttons for "call" and "hang-up" especially (although the touch sensitive buttons for "back", "menu", "home" and "search" work very well).
The camera is a huge improvement because of the resolution and the dual LED flashbulbs and even takes decent macro shots now, but is still quite slow to start up and capture a pic. The sound quality is very good in my opinion on the phone, speaker phone and for music and videos with and without headphones.
Once this phone gets "opened up" and I can play with the OS I'm sure I'll fall in love with it for real, but for now it's not enough of an improvement that I feel it justifies switching to Verizon for service that is almost always more expensive than T-Mo, a company I've always had good luck and positive customer service experiences with.
Since my wife has to have Verizon to get any coverage at work AND gets a Union discount, switching to get on a family plan actually saves us a decent chunk on our phone bill, so I have no regrets really, but I do miss my G1 a little already and may just keep the thing to plunk around on WiFi and flash a new ROM every now and again.
If you've read this far, thanks for your indulgence and thanks again for all the enjoyment XDA has given me and feel free to PM me with any advice about where the Droid crowd is gonna gather.
sorry to hear you go, but their are other places besides xda
Thank you for your thoughts.
XDA needs an android forum.
There are generic Android forums under "Development and Hacking" that aren't tied to any specific device. Unless I'm mistaken, this forum was/is devoted to hardware made by HTC.
switching to droid no reason to leave
I switched my minutes and data plan to the Cliq. But continuing with my G1. I'm researching the debian shell and going to other things with the G1. So its not your primary phone anymore, you can still use it for wifi, war driving, other dev projects. It IS still a full PC...a from 94' but still a pc. can still do IRC and FTP and stuff via WiFi. Maybe run a web server under debian? A good way to get around the corporate firewall and web filters if wifi in range The G1's are not out to pasture just yet... Only drawback for going to a new phone..waiting on the development to start The droid looks awsome and If I was verizon, i would have gotten it too. I'm loving the Cliq though more and more and crossing fingers for root. The keyboard is lacking, but the D-pad works well and more precise than the G1's ball..easier time highlighting for copy/paste. MUCH MUCH faster than G1..only bug i've encountered is the touch screen random dead zone which is fixed with a quick open/close of the keyboard..but thats software glitch. stereo blue tooth works well and loud. I believe it has 2 speakers on the phone that offer very loud and clear sound. And with T-Mobile upgrading their data to 7Mbit HSPA i'm never lacking in bandwidth..I may drop my cable internet soon..lol. I've not tried its 3d aspects for games..but not much into them on a 3" screen..i've a computer for that (Phen2 X4 955 OC'd to 3.5ghtz, 8 gig G-Skill, HIS ATI 5770 1gig, Raid 0). So, the G1 has a longer lifespan for us even though its near the end of its commercial life span. But I do wish the Droid was on T-Mobile.
good to hear positive things about the droid, but i am still waiting. after talking to ppl at a few different tmobile stores around my area and bringing up the droid, they all say the same thing. "Be patient, it will come soon enough" im not sure whether it is the GSM Droid that is coming or just the new slew of android based phones that are coming. In any case, I am on the cliq now. Love it, but it needs root.
Samsung FocusBeautiful, crisp, or a cheap piece of junk. I would like to know.
I would like to know if you own a Focus or are considering purchasing one. I believe that word of mouth is important so I ask the community to place their thoughts about the Focus here. Also I would like just 1 post from each member who is writing their own review. Remember you can edit your post. Help me out and if you actually own a focus let us know in the poll.
Try to look at the below review for a format. Of course it is your review so write it how you see fit.
Top things I love about my Focus:
1. Thin
2. Light
3. Beautiful screen
4. SD expandability
5. Fast and responsive
6. Diagnosis Screen
Top things that need improvement for my Focus:
1. Better SD support
2. Power charging should be on the bottom of the phone
3. Power button should be on the top of the phone or harder to press
4. Screen can scratch all be it very hard to do so.
How is my windows experience on the Focus:
1. Marketplace can be buggy
2. Games are fun and vibrant
3. Programs are stable
What would you like to see improved in you windows experience on the Focus:
1. Need to allow multitasking as an option for GPS and third party audio programs.
2. Wish marketplace would show how many download an app had
3. More live tiles
4. In email adding folders to sync is cumbersome.
Who would you recommend buy this phone?
I would recommend this phone to anyone. This is the best phone I owned.
I pretty much agree with what you posted. I've really come to like WP7 and the Focus although, there is still much work to be done on the OS.
I guess if Samsung had one with a physical keyboard, I'd be all over it.
It's so fluid in motion, readable and highly consistent in design. Overall, I've got to give MS a big thumbs up. The UI is beautiful and functional.
My only real complaint is the occasional marketplace freeze.
I've had a number of android devices and I've had more than one iPhone.. I was ready for something fresh and different.. and so far this is fitting the bill quite well.
Now make with the updates, Microsoft... some new features would be nice.
As for the focus itself, it's a nice piece of hardware. The screen is gorgeous, battery life seems decent, speaker sounds good, calls are clear. It has a little creak do it if I grip it too hard, but it doesn't feel like it's going to break. I'd pretty much put it even with my Samsung Vibrant.. it is plasticky, but it doesn't feel cheap.
I've had my Focus since they released them publicly. The hardware is great overall. I have two iPhones (3G and 4), a Droid, Blackberry 9000 and a new Torch. The iPhone sets the bar high, and in my opinion the Focus easily competes head to head with the iPhone in terms of the screen and performance, maybe even better for speed. So far I haven't had any problems with it, in terms of the hardware. No unexpected reboots or lock-ups. I've soft-reset it a couple times on my own, and did one hard-reset to attempt to get wireless Zune sync working (still doesn't work), but that I'm sure is an OS problem. I do wish Samsung just stepped up with 16GB of NAND storage from the get-go though. Sure, an optional SD card is nice to have, but the way WP7 uses storage it doesn't surprise me people are seeing random crashes and data loss. WP7 essentially combines both storage types as one large storage, but expects performance to be the same and that's not reasonable. There's really no reason why they couldn't make NAND the primary, and SD secondary for more static things like music and documents.
In the beginning battery life was pretty bad. But I think it just took a few charge cycles to correct that. I get almost two days out of it without wifi. With Wifi it drops to maybe a day and a half at most.
The AMOLED screen is just awesome. Clear, bright, smooth.
I'm looking forward to MS releasing a WP7 update though. There are so many little bugs/features that are missing, besides the popular copy/paste that I rarely use anyway.
I agree with the first post.
I (STILL) only get all of one bar of signal in my house with it. AT&T signal was bad seven years ago and hasn't improved which kind of forces me to return it and wait for a CDMA version. At least with Verizon I get three & four bars everywhere in the house. Too bad I have to wait another month or two to get a WP7, because other than not being able to make or receive calls at home I really like the Focus a lot.
Pretty much agree with the first post. I really like this phone.
When reading email, I wish there was a way to make the font bigger that would also word wrap so you don't have to move back and forth to read the email. Either autosize to a larger font with word wrap, or just let me select a larger font size.
I love the voice search! It's worked for me in noisy resturants and standing along side a busy road. Impressive!
I really like my Samsung Focus primarily because in my usage the OS has been stable, fast, and really easy to navigate.
The lack of available applications (for whatever reasons) is a huge issue. I own both an iPhone and Droid X. If I didn't have those phones on which to use apps I think I'd be a little less kind at this moment to WP7 and the Focus
Overall I think what MSFT has TODAY is a great first smartphone for someone who has not used one before.
Will this progress to a serious contender in the smartphone space? I don't know but I'm hoping that it can be one of the top 3.
webdev511 said:
I agree with the first post.
I (STILL) only get all of one bar of signal in my house with it. AT&T signal was bad seven years ago and hasn't improved which kind of forces me to return it and wait for a CDMA version. At least with Verizon I get three & four bars everywhere in the house. Too bad I have to wait another month or two to get a WP7, because other than not being able to make or receive calls at home I really like the Focus a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhone's reception fairly blows, also, and AT&T is awful at my house. I bought a zBoost YX-545 GSM/PCS repeater, stuck the antenna in the attic where I get at least a couple reception bars and put the unit in the upper floor of the house. That now gives me 4 or 5 bars throughout the house and yard and helped the iPhone considerably and does just as well with the Focus. If you have any reception at all, this is a better solution than AT&T's hit-or-miss microcell.
Personally, I like the screen and the weight. It's so nice being able to pull it out of my pocket, take a quick glance at the screen to see if there's anything of interest and, if not, pop it right back from where it came. The screen is bright, easily read at arm's length and laid out well. The commercials about "saving us from our phones" actually made sense once I used the phone for a few days. One thing that drove me nuts about the iPhone was the form and weight. It's akin to having a brick in my shirt pocket and the weight makes it practically jump out of my pocket any time I bend over a bit. The Focus has a much nicer form with the rounded edges, it's thin and it's relatively light weight means it's been less prone to wanting to slide out of my pocket. It's being so thin and rounded makes it more difficult to pick up off a flat surface than the iPhone.
I've used iPhones for the past 2 1/2 years and while the iPhone has it all over the Focus as far as functionality, what the Focus currently does is so much easier to do that I believe I'm ready to commit and forget about the 30 day return policy. All in all, the benefits and potential very much outweight the few drawbacks that exist, such as the plastic feel and mediocre reception.
Oh...and the expandable memory is a HUGE plus after 2 1/2 years of a phone I couldn't even open. Yes, I've read that plenty of people have had problems with it but using a Sandisk 8GB class 2 SD card I've been able to put some 10 GB of music on the phone without so much as a single hiccup in any way. I suppose Sandisk is still the best for a reason...accept no substitutes!
JDiddyC Review
(in conjunction with previous noted items)
What I like:
1. Integration of FB, apps and Live Skydrive, etc. Seemless!
2. Ability to customize the tiles on the home screen
3. Live tiles! Need I say more!?
4. Accessing info and sharing is quick and easy
What I don't like / needs development:
1. For the love of God, please let us use Bing Turn by Turn and not PAY for provider specific apps or add-ons!
2. Zune / Music portion needs work
- Channels would be nice
- Why do I have to pay for songs via AT&T when I have zune pass? This should work like market place on the Zune HD!
- Please let me use music I have on the device as a ringtone!?
Overall satisfaction:
LOVE IT! I feel pretty confident that changes to the OS and apps will come in the near future that will hopefully address the few things I don't like. Although I fear there are some agreements with providers around GPS and turn by turn directions that may keep us hacking to get around them.
Top things I love about my Focus:
1. Thin
2. Facebook Integration
3. Beautiful screen
4. SD expandability
5. Xbox Live
6. Fun UI
Top things that need improvement for my Focus:
1. Multitasking or at least backgrounding (i want pandora!!!)
2. When the Screen is locked i shouldnt be able to power off the phone with just the button! Come on now that should be common sense.
3. Flashlight app that acually uses the LED
4. Volume controls that are not all in one (i shouldnt have to turn my phone back up to 30 after playing a games at 10 because the games too loud, in turn making my ringtone way too quiet)
5. Cut, Copy, Paste!!!
How is my windows experience on the Focus:
1. Marketplace and UI can be buggy (especailly when downloading)
2. Games are fun and vibrant but with a lack of games ive grown interested in with other platforms
3. best camera phone implementation with the shutter button and ease.
bump
Can a moderator sticky this
I love the focus ALOT! I bought it outright at Rogers for $630! Its unbelievably fast and smooth....its the most fluid phone I have ever used in my life to be honest....I handed it over to my gf! Why? because I take alot of pictures and video, and so far while the focus has been good at both, it doesn't hold up to my Xperia X10,,,therefore I went back to my X10...but I play with the Focus all day long. If somehow they could write a camera app (like Vignette for android) and make the pictures cleaner in low light then the Focus would be my primary phone hands down.
Overall I'd give this phone a 9.5/10 just because I feel the camera is lacking slightly.
Lovin My New unlocked Samsung Focus
Samsung Focus is the BEST WP7 phone hands down right now! Just wished 3G and MMS would work with my T-Mo service Provider.
Anyone find out how to get into the MFG Mode?
I have been through the whole Diagnosis Mode, changed about every setting i could change and still no MMS.
btw.. thx sandrobber for listing all the codes for the diagnosis menu!
Just bought 3 foci (sp), Originally got one for my step father who had been working on some old handmedowns and wanted a real smart phone of his own and one for my wife who hated her Pure with such a purple passion that I was almost ready to overlook my no Apple rule and get her an Iphone. They both are loving it.
I went ahead and got one for myself. I have to admit I did a lot of waffling between the focus and the quantum.
Personally I think the quantum's size and form factor is slightly superior. It was just the right size to fit in my hand and be worked easily with one hand while the focus is just a tad on the large size to be truly comfortable.
That said I ended up going with the Focus because damn it's a huge gorgeous screen the potential for expansion and general overall ratings it's getting on the hardware side.
My past experience with smart phones has been with winmo and palm OS. Part of my decision to go with the Samsung was because of my experiences with their older smart phones. In fact I just ran across my old I300 the other day while sorting through some old boxes and the damned thing still runs just fine after a quick charge.
Pro's
that huge screen.
smooth seamless performance.
did I mention that huge beautiful screen?
Expandable memory
Con's
Bing button is too damned easy to hit.
form factor is just a tad to big to be used consistently with one hand.
Who thought putting the USB port on the top was a good idea?
Market place is buggy and has locked up on me several times requiring a reset of the device.
Other thoughts
As a former winmo user I'm definitely missing some of the features that I knew weren't going to make it into this os. I still think it was rather stupid to drop active sync and myphone for this platform. I understand some of the rationals but it's still missed.
Same goes for the lack of access to the files system (in particular the lack of drag and drop and real support for SD storage)
That said the phone is incredibly user friendly. My wife who hated the hell out of her Pure took to this thing like a duck to water and she's far from technically competent with this sort of thing in that she's a fairly typical user who's not interested in tinkering with a device just to get basic functionality. as such this works great for her.
For my part I very rapidly got my start page re-arranged the way I liked it with my tiles organized in the manner in which I typically need them.
I'm still learning things about it like it was a bit of a surprise when my step father showed me how to voice dial calls. (so damned easy it never even occurred to me to try.)
So far everyone I've shown the phone to has been impressed (primarily Iphone users) and several have already expressed an interest in switching to WP7 as soon as their contracts come up for renewal. Especially those who aren't using Iphones since they'll be able to keep their old unlimited data plans with these devices.
I have very high expectations for the future of this platform. As soon as MS gets a couple basic features pushed out (copy/paste, task switching) and developers start getting some quality apps out I see this platform being quite competitive with Apple.
I get that there are some things that it's just never going to match winmo on and that functionality will be missed but after watching Apple dominate the market so thoroughly and observing users such as my wife beating their heads against the WinMo experience I can't really fault MS for shifting design philosophy.
Considering the fact that this OS has only been out a couple months I'd say it's off to a nice start. Sure it would have been nice to have had cut/paste and multitasking so I wouldn't have to listen to the apple fanboi's teases (hey at least it's got MMS out the box) but it is a fully functional smartphone right out the box that can already do many things much easier than my old 6.5 phone could.
Now I just have to find a good case for it.
Happy Focus owner, elated to be a part of a truly 'smart'phone era.
This phone was the best investment I ever made.
After purchasing the phone outright from Rogers in Canada, I paid an ebay guy $15 to unlock it.
I came immediately to XDA-Developers for guidance with my new toy. The community here is excellent; with a level of knowledge far beyond my wildest expectations.
Once I followed the advice of everyone here, I was able to unleash the full power of the phone on my preferred network, SaskTel.
Prior to this phone, I got a contract a year ago with a Samsung Omnia. My carrier wouldn't push the OS update, and Samsung didn't offer it direct to consumers. I was forever stuck on a crippled WinMo6.1 OS.
I am looking forward to future updates provided direct from Microsoft. This was perhaps the most significant reason I bought into the idea behind Windows Phone 7 as a future-proof platform.
The reasons I chose the Focus are the same as most around here. The SuperAMOLED screen is just a wonder to behold, and I find myself just scrolling the lists just to see the brilliance of the display in action.
Memory expansion is another boon for this device. Having at least one option in the Microsoft launch lineup with this feature is key to the platform's success. I believe like the handset manufacturers, that everyone has different needs in a device.
Storage is a need some of us have. I like the security behind the S in SD. I believe the way MS implemented the expandable memory is the way to go from a security and usability standpoint.
My final reason for choosing this phone was to test the ability of my service provider to bring alternate devices to the table. My carrier just upgraded to 3G+ from CDMA. Having a SIM based solution opened the Focus as a possibility.
I am satisfied with my carrier's network, and the phone, and the apps.
I looked at the iDevices and Android devices before making this purchase. While the iDevices were pretty much all out of my price range for the flexibility provided, I considered the Samsung Galaxy line.... in particular, the Galaxy S Vibrant (known by other names on other networks, so let's not quibble).
The only thing that kept me from the Android platform was how cumbersome it was to use.
While there are some mobile enthusiasts out there who will claim that the platform is lacking, I have never once been in a situation where I thought to myself, hey I wish I could multitask. Once something draws me away, the back button is right there, my little friend.. who always helps me back to whatever experience I engaged in before the distraction.
Personally I do not care for MMS, as my carrier charges me per use. at that rate, I can use my unlimited data and share over Facebook and SKydrive to those I want to see my photos. As a result I haven't even tested to see if the feature works with my carrier's current APN settings.
My only pain point is that a few of the features that were demoed early in the year, are not yet available in Canada.
For instance, Bing searching does not bring back local maps. The city where I live has too small a population for 2D overhead maps. I find all of this interesting, as I do have birds-eye within the bing maps silverlight experience on the desktop.
Another feature our lovely land to the north is missing is the Zune Pass. I would happily pay for the ability to link Shazam to Zune, unfortunately due what I presume to be legal reasons, the zune pass is not presently available.
===============================
My only hope now is that someone out there will create a Kinect-Based Star-Trek Exploration game that allows me to use my WP7 device as the infamous Tricorder.
I think that would totally kick ass. I'm thinking of a title we'll tentatively name "Star Trek: Red Shirt Adventures" Where you get to explore the worlds of Kirk's day, and all those up until Picard's day.
In this fashion a good story teller could preserve Trek Cannon and shed some light on the rich history to us causal trekkies. Maybe the objective is to burn through 1000 lives in a single play through.... who knows.... it was an idea, which I give openly to the internet to turn around and capitalize on, as I lack the ambition. Surely with XNA architecture as a base on both platforms, this should be doable.
Skex said:
3 foci (sp)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
correct
Finally a phone I love
Even though I've been in IT for 30 years, I had my first taste of smart phone ownership a little over a year ago with a BB Bold. I never needed one, but finally WANTed one. It was okay, but slow and not the easiest thing to type on. On 12/27 I upgraded to a Samsung Captivate. I really like the keyboard, but the darn thing kept powering off all by itself. When I noticed board postings about others' Captivates doing the same thing, I was determined not to play "let's see if this one works" and I traded for a Focus on 12/31. It is absolutely lovely. The only complaints I have are 1) the keyboard is a bit to small and 2) the hidden "diagnosis" settings really need to be easier to access. The good thing about that is I have joined groups like this one, where I am learning things I didn't know I wanted to know!
First day, first customer!!!
I have been a loyal WM/PPC user (iPAQ, Axim, 3125, TD2), and have been waiting for this phone. Having used TD2 and several Softbank (Japan) phones, I desire the following (only):
(a) Smart dial
(b) Toggle switches for Bluetooth/Wifi (like Cookies Home tab) on the Home Screen.
Nevertheless, very happy with my Focus.
This is not a "vs." thread as you are used to reading...this is merely my observations since I have owned and used both devices to their fullest extent. I wanted to share these with you guys (as well as blackberryforums.com) to see what you all thought. I get a ton of email each day, a fair amount of texts and use the high side of 5k mins/month. One of the ways that I have always set myself apart is my response times. I am VP of Sales for a small wireless integration firm and used to work for Sprint and Nextel on the data side. My first smartphone was a Blackberry 7510 in 2004. I had access to every device that Nextel and Sprint had and tried 95% of them. I always went back to Blackberry.
In July of this year, my CEO gave me an EVO and I wanted to give it a fair shot. I went into with the same mentality as always - that I would be back to Blackberry in a few days. I was wrong. I immediately began reading XDA-developers on how to root the device and after that, it snowballed. I was CONSTANTLY trying to find new ways to enhance the battery life and customize my device to my liking. I played around with many different ROMS and kernels (CM6, Baked Snack, Myn and a couple others) and had found Myn's Warm 2.2 RLS4 with Netarchy 2.1.1 CFS smartass kernel to be the best fit for me. That said, I blew through batteries each day unless I was in my home office had to carry an extra one every where I went. On Friday (12/24), I saw a post on Twitter about OS 6.0 for the 9650 and decided to give it a shot. Here is my comparison based on my usage of both devices.
Screen:
Blackberry: ample size for email and texting. Marginal for video like youtube.
EVO: Gorgeous clarity and perfect for watching videos and looking at pictures.
Battery:
Blackberry: stellar battery life....not only does it hold a charge well it doesn't take long to charge. I carry an extra battery in my bag but I can barely ever remember using it.
EVO: Terrible. I have seen so many posts about how folks are getting x hours of standby or sleep or whatever..point is, it comes down to how long the battery lasts as I use the device. I found myself checking percentage drain after leaving the device on all night after every change I made (kernel, ROM, etc.)....it became rather time consuming if you think about it. Everyone always says, "yeah, but it does so much more?" Well, I got tired of worrying what my battery life was going to do when I turned GPS on to use Navigation. You would have thought that the folks that manufactured these devices would have added a little extra juice.
Size:
Blackberry: nice design...good fit in my hand but keyboard is just a tad small (I wear a XXL golf glove).
EVO: large 4.3" screen great for media but a little big to carry around daily. Until the EVO I was a BB holster guy. Having the EVO on my hip felt like a small TV on my belt. I lost that clip quickly and will never carry ANY device on my hip again.
Keyboard:
Blackberry: quite simply, it is perfect. No device can touch a Blackberry keyboard, IMO. Even other Android devices with sliders are no comparison.
EVO: This was my first time using a touchscreen device for any length of time. I didnt care for stock, tried Swype (eh) and decided that SwiftKey was the best choice for me. I got used to touchscreen with no problem and while I wasnt as fast as I was on my BB, it worked fine.
Email:
Blackberry: again, cosmetics aside, email is great. With Blackberry and BES, you know what you are getting. There is no manual sync just to be sure that all email is there. One downside is the lack of mirrored sync. On activesync, you can delete an email in your inbox and it wont show up anymore on your device. Not so with Blackberry (unless this is a new feature in 6.0). I like how easy it is to reply (letter r), reply all (letter l) and forward (letter f) emails with Blackberry. Attachments are handled ok.
EVO: My company is on Exchange 2003 so no HTML email on the stock android mail app. I bought the Touchdown app and it was just ok. While I liked the HTML email via Touchdown it used a little more battery than the stock app. I like the fact that everything is mirrored (replica of inbox). On more than one occasion I noticed that email would sync only after getting into my inbox. Functionality seemed fine 95% of the time....but not 100%. Another small irritant of mine in Android is the fact that the cc field isn't in view automatically. You actually have to hit a button to put the cc field in and then add your address.
Messaging:
Blackberry: Blackberry messenger is awesome, no doubt. Problem is you are limited to those that use it. Texting on the Blackberry is fine also. In fact, I like it as much as Android because it acts just like the email app.
EVO: Until the EVO, I had very limited interaction with texting. Literally, 90% of anyone I communicated with was on BBM. I tried the stock app, Handcent and then finally ended up with ChompSMS. Texting vs. texting it's a wash on both devices.
Browsing:
Blackberry: browsing has gotten a bit better with 6.0 but it doesn't compare to the EVO. It gets the job done but it's just ok.
EVO: I love browsing the web on the EVO. I like the auto text resize capabilities of the stock browser and the overall experience is much better.
Calendar
Blackberry: Never had an issue with the calendar on a Blackberry.
EVO: I can count 8-10 specific events that just didn't show up on my calendar on my EVO...All from Exchange and all events were in Outlook. I need to know this will work 100% of the time. Period.
Contacts
Blackberry: KIS -Keep is simple is exactly what they do. Never an issue with contacts. Always integrated nicely with the other aspects of Blackberry. In 6.0 you can see all conversations/activities within each contact.
EVO: The "people" app on the EVO was ok. When I first got the EVO, everything wanted to integrate with more than one source....it listed Google, PC, Exchange......and I only wanted Exchange....again, never felt 100%.
Apps:
Blackberry: App store is just ok...nothing great to mention here.
EVO: Android market is awesome....lots of great choices for the many things that can be done with Android.
UI
Blackberry: Simple and non-descript. 6.0 adds a good amount to it but it isn't on par with Android.
EVO: I love the time and weather widgets on the home screen. I definitely miss that on Blackberry.
Social Media:
I manage my company's Twitter account as well as our Facebook account (along with my personal accounts of each). I simply love TweetDeck for Android. With Blackberry, I haven't found a combined app that functions anywhere close. I tried HootSuite but it wasn't a combined app...I had to go into Facebook and then into Twitter. (if anyone has a recommendation here, by all means speak up).
Security
Blackberry: No contest here. If I left my Blackberry in a cab, I would not be concerned at all knowing that I could call my IT dept and have it shut down immediately.
EVO: Not so much. I know there are IT policies that can be implemented and it's "pretty" secure. I am not the IT department BUT I just don't feel as secure knowing that it isn't a BES.
Miscellaneous:
I think it's only a matter of time before Blackberry puts a much better camera in their devices. That is a big part of my satisfaction with the EVO. I am a huge amateur photographer and take pictures virtually everywhere I go. Earlier today as was driving my father in-law's 4-wheeler in the snowstorm pulling my 5 and 8 year old girls on saucers I pulled out my Blackberry and could easily turn around and snap a few shots as i was driving. Safe? probably not but I couldn't have done that as easily (if at all) with the EVO. Another thing I noticed was the ability to dial numbers from websites and calendar invites. On Blackberry, it just works. On the EVO, it was hit or miss.
Overall, the EVO is a great device. I travel a fair amount so having a device like that that could entertain me on a plane was a great draw. I loved Angry Birds, Kindle app and a few more. Problem was I would use all of that and then land and not have any juice to actually work. One of the biggest irritants of the EVO was having to hit the power button on the top to turn the device on. Sounds petty, but that bugged me.
Last week, I ordered an iPad with some Marriott points and I have a feeling that it will serve as more than enough entertainment on planes (hasn't arrived yet). I switched back to my 9650 this past Friday and because of the nature of my business I just think that Blackberry is the better device for me.
I will leave you with one stat that I pulled directly from Xobni (those not familiar with this app for Outlook, you should definitely check it out). It's a great organizer for email within Outlook but also has some analytics that will boggle your mind. It may sound petty but from the first of the year until the day I switched to my EVO my average response time was less than 3 minutes for email. From the day I switched to the EVO until this past Friday my average response time was just under 6 mins....
Ultimately, there isn't one perfect device (in my opinion). For me and right now, it appears that a Blackberry will better serve my needs from a business perspective. Thanks for everyone's assistance on this and other Android forums....you all have been great....Happy New Year!
Umm ok??? Scratching head...
sent from my DAMN EVO
Why are you scratching your head? I just wanted to give a rundown from someone that has experienced both devices.
Success100 said:
Umm ok??? Scratching head...
sent from my DAMN EVO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what you would call a post count troll.
Anyway I would go with BB for your business needs. I used to own a BB 8700, 8300, 8310, pearl, etc.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
gqstatus0685 said:
This is what you would call a post count troll.
Anyway I would go with BB for your business needs. I used to own a BB 8700, 8300, 8310, pearl, etc.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No doubt....when I first read it I thought you were talking about me....then I really did scratch my head. Have a good night.
Yeah, there is really no question that the battery life on the Evo is only acceptible to people that have constant access to a charger or are willing to stuff a double or tripple size battery in their pocket.
Hopefully the Evo shift 4g will be a big improvement. With its larger battery, smaller screen and more power efficient processor it should be.
gqstatus0685 said:
This is what you would call a post count troll.
Anyway I would go with BB for your business needs. I used to own a BB 8700, 8300, 8310, pearl, etc.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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umm no, try again, i could care less about post count, I just didnt see a point of this thread because just about everyone knows the advantages/disadvantages of android phones and blackberries, at least the people that post on this site. but to each his own
Mactagonist said:
Yeah, there is really no question that the battery life on the Evo is only acceptible to people that have constant access to a charger or are willing to stuff a double or tripple size battery in their pocket.
Hopefully the Evo shift 4g will be a big improvement. With its larger battery, smaller screen and more power efficient processor it should be.
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Not sure if that comment is true.... my phone last well over 16 hours which is enough for me.. not sure what your battery life is but that's just my experience.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Ok......
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Doesn't this BB phone have a 2.4" screen?
I sort of miss my blackberry. I'm thinking about going back. I am considering the curve 3G.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G.
in this base.
used a 9650 for a month than swapped to the EVO.
you are pretty much spot on in every aspect. I get p.good battery life on my Evo, enough for a solid day of use where I can plug it in at night.
Tethering is much easier on the EVO than a BB.
Completely agree on the Bolds keyboard, it is simply amazing. I hated the Curve keyboard, and am yet to find a slider i like...i think i just hate sliders.
Contemplated selling my Evo and picking up a Bold again. I carry my laptop around and EVO is just basically for texting/facebook. Also, BB Facebook App is a lot better then Androids.
Good post. I agree with most of the points. The one thing that makes me stick with Android is the applications I utilize. Though there are some decent applications on the BlackBerry, many of the are so overpriced. I also find that the BlackBerry versions of some are very poor when compared to their Android counterparts. (This is the same complaint iPhone users have about Android applications!)
I'm still getting used to OS 6 on my Bold.I believe I ran into a problem with battery life post-upgrade. It seems to be related to my WiFi. I also just found out that my camera isn't working--which will be a headache I deal with some time this week.
Two areas where I don't agree: I find that the BlackBerry application store is complete GARBAGE. I had to switch devices (went from a Tour to the Bold), and it lost my applications...despite following the instructions on how to ensure they weren't lost. When trying to rectify this, I found that RIM doesn't even have support (i.e., people with whom I can communicate) for issues like this.
The second area has to do with the email reconciliation. Just as Android has synchronize, the BlackBerry has "reconcile now." I'd say they're on-par in this respect. I don't think either one is perfect. I've had lost appointments on my BlackBerry, where they have been on my Evo.
One area I didn't see in your post had to do with GPS. I find that the Evo GPS works much better than my BlackBerry's. The BlackBerry, curiously, works great with RIM's own Maps application; third-party applications (Bing/Google Maps) were hit or miss.
On the other hand, the one area where the BlackBerry shines over the Evo is in international usage. Not only will the Bold roam on GSM, Sprint has a plan that is unlimited data for the Bold. Not so for the Evo. (Though Verizon has it for both BlackBerry and Android devices.)
Joel
Decent article, a bit lengthy, but full of good info. (i personally can't comprehend how someone would have enough time to sit down and write a posting of that magnitude)
Regardless. I have a Bold 9700 for work and my Evo for personal. I HATED BB before the work phone. now that i've used it and worked on the enterprise servers, i see the merits. it's a solid little device. not as feature packed as my evo.
the one main sticking point that i can't shake is, as you said, the battery life. it's amazing how long my Bold can go. i've had it off the charger for 4 days now. no problem. it's incredible. my evo? barely goes a full 12 hour work day without a charge. i know they make expanded batteries and i could always get extra batteries. But to be honest, i have no desire to remove two layers of otterbox defender just to replace a battery. it still amazes me that HTC missed the mark so greatly on the batteries, when all the other features rock.
</rant>
jbhorner said:
Good post. I agree with most of the points. The one thing that makes me stick with Android is the applications I utilize. Though there are some decent applications on the BlackBerry, many of the are so overpriced. I also find that the BlackBerry versions of some are very poor when compared to their Android counterparts. (This is the same complaint iPhone users have about Android applications!)
I'm still getting used to OS 6 on my Bold.I believe I ran into a problem with battery life post-upgrade. It seems to be related to my WiFi. I also just found out that my camera isn't working--which will be a headache I deal with some time this week.
Two areas where I don't agree: I find that the BlackBerry application store is complete GARBAGE. I had to switch devices (went from a Tour to the Bold), and it lost my applications...despite following the instructions on how to ensure they weren't lost. When trying to rectify this, I found that RIM doesn't even have support (i.e., people with whom I can communicate) for issues like this.
The second area has to do with the email reconciliation. Just as Android has synchronize, the BlackBerry has "reconcile now." I'd say they're on-par in this respect. I don't think either one is perfect. I've had lost appointments on my BlackBerry, where they have been on my Evo.
One area I didn't see in your post had to do with GPS. I find that the Evo GPS works much better than my BlackBerry's. The BlackBerry, curiously, works great with RIM's own Maps application; third-party applications (Bing/Google Maps) were hit or miss.
On the other hand, the one area where the BlackBerry shines over the Evo is in international usage. Not only will the Bold roam on GSM, Sprint has a plan that is unlimited data for the Bold. Not so for the Evo. (Though Verizon has it for both BlackBerry and Android devices.)
Joel
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I didnt mean to give any addtl credit to the BB App World but to be honest, I never use it and dont have a need to use it now...I search the web for the apps and use the dl link directly from their sites.
As far as reconcile goes, the EVO worked better for email (when it did work 100%). Again this is for email only....if I deleted an email on my pc it doesnt leave my bb...it does on the EVO.
Forgot about GPS - you are correct....the GPS on the EVO was far better and could be used for lots of cool things....I get Telenav for free on the BB so cost wise that isnt an issue.....hard to come close to Google Navigation although I will say it has routed me on some pretty crazy routes before.
One other thing I forgot was notes/memos. Yes, there are apps for Android that sync manually but it's 2010. I dont want to sync manually...I use notes alot (have over 350) and I really missed them on Android.
SilverStone641 said:
Decent article, a bit lengthy, but full of good info. (i personally can't comprehend how someone would have enough time to sit down and write a posting of that magnitude)
</rant>
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You can't "comprehend" how someone has 10 minutes to write out their experiences? Are you THAT busy?
I just remembered (after just experiencing the problem) another thing I absolutely hate about the BlackBerry email: it has a limit as to how much it will download per message. If a message is over a certain size, it pretty much flips you the middle finger. I just ran into this, actually. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but it is when reading HTML messages contained in external (non BES) email.
Joel
SilverStone641 said:
Decent article, a bit lengthy, but full of good info. (i personally can't comprehend how someone would have enough time to sit down and write a posting of that magnitude)
Regardless. I have a Bold 9700 for work and my Evo for personal. I HATED BB before the work phone. now that i've used it and worked on the enterprise servers, i see the merits. it's a solid little device. not as feature packed as my evo.
the one main sticking point that i can't shake is, as you said, the battery life. it's amazing how long my Bold can go. i've had it off the charger for 4 days now. no problem. it's incredible. my evo? barely goes a full 12 hour work day without a charge. i know they make expanded batteries and i could always get extra batteries. But to be honest, i have no desire to remove two layers of otterbox defender just to replace a battery. it still amazes me that HTC missed the mark so greatly on the batteries, when all the other features rock.
</rant>
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Your Bold 9700 is GSM, Bold 9650 is CDMA and GSM when needed.
GSM phones have much better battery life compared to CDMA ones. I would get about a day in a half-2 days of battery on my Bold. Evo if I rarely use it, i can get up to 30-34 hours of standby basically, but if using moderately I can get 20-24 hours. Bold with heavy use would last me a full day at least, Evo with heavy use i'm lucky to get 12 hours.
I do love the Bold, adn would have no qualms about going back to one. Especially if I had a Tablet also or something easier than my laptop. Might have to throw my Evo up for sale for $350 and see if I get any bites, haha.
ddublu said:
Size:
Blackberry: nice design...good fit in my hand but keyboard is just a tad small (I wear a XXL golf glove).
EVO: large 4.3" screen great for media but a little big to carry around daily. Until the EVO I was a BB holster guy. Having the EVO on my hip felt like a small TV on my belt. I lost that clip quickly and will never carry ANY device on my hip again.
Keyboard:
Blackberry: quite simply, it is perfect. No device can touch a Blackberry keyboard, IMO. Even other Android devices with sliders are no comparison.
EVO: This was my first time using a touchscreen device for any length of time. I didnt care for stock, tried Swype (eh) and decided that SwiftKey was the best choice for me. I got used to touchscreen with no problem and while I wasnt as fast as I was on my BB, it worked fine.
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OK! Longest useless post I've ever wasted my time reading! So you say the keyboard is too small, then you say it is perfect....is it perfectly small?
2.4" screen?
Are we talking about smartphones or featurephones here?
this is just a personal experience, opinion, and review of Windows Phone 7 and Samsung Focus based off a few days of heavy use and playing around with the phone. I'm originally coming from an HTC Aria android phone. which some..or most of you may be weary and questioning and doubting microsoft's new and fresh OS.
this'll basically a side by side comparison of both phones and OS's. and hope it helps answers some questions some folks may have before purchasing the phone. and in hopes it will help interest users and give this forum a little growth.
Body and Feel of the Phone
The size was exactly what i was looking for. coming from the HTC Aria..the screen size was a huge bonus for me. it was perfect for viewing and using, but not too big where i felt like my fingers had to stretch. slid in my pocket easily where it's light enough to not weigh down my pants, but just enough to let me know it's there.
minor gripe is the back of the phone..the battery cover. flimsy plastic compared to the Aria's solid rubber like back. it was easier to get off than the Aria's, but the little hooks at top to hold the cover under the body of the phone were just a little small for my comfort. so i'm taking it extremely easy whenever removing and replacing the cover.
the buttons on the sides were pretty solid and flush with the body, but had enough ridge to them so you knew where they were. dedicated camera button, love it, since the Aria and most android phones don't have one. helps with those spontaneous random shots.
the overall thinness and just right curves make this phone pretty damn sexxy.
Body: 9/10 - (if they make an after-market solid backcover..definite 10)
Windows Phone 7 UI and Software
I was actually surprised how quickly i adapted to windows new UI coming from an android phone. gotta say everything is extremely fluid and gorgeous. watching early previous video demoes before Microsoft officially released it, i did not think it would be that fluid, smooth, and quick.
i definitely like how everything i need to know and see is all in one screen. Android's use of multiple pane screens was..genius at first...but tedious over time and too similar to iphone's UI. with my HTC Aria, i had one pane dedicated to my calendar and events notices, one for basic info..time - date - sms - email - weather, another pane with a group of my most used apps, and another pane to regulate GPS - Bluetooth - Sync - Brightness..via widgets. my thumb did A LOT of swiping. most don't recognize with WP7..its touch and go and rarely any swiping, except within the apps.
adding apps was a breeze and less stressful than with the android phone. with microsoft regulating what's in the app store, i feel a little more comfortable with the security measures. i think Apple did one thing right when they went in that direction. how is giving a list of warnings before installing an app supposed to make you at ease with your phone and what you're putting on it? I of course immediately downloaded Netflix app, which works perfectly! i was able to snag near HD quality on a solid 3G connection. and with the Focus's gorgeous and bright screen..gonna love watching movies on it. App Market took a little getting use to, search button makes it a little easier if you know what you're looking for. and it had it's share of hiccups where it wouldn't load back up if it froze, requiring a reboot. not a huge issue and something microsoft is aware of and working on a fix for. I was just glad i didn't have to sift through thousands of crappy apps or apps that were variations and copies of similar apps (memory matching games...those of you android owners should know so well).
Getting my gmail account setup was easy and basic. i honestly gotta say that Windows Phone 7 email interface is the best i've used so far, coming from iphones and blackberries and android. i just can't explain it. it's just something to experience personally. i never really saw google's need to use push notification with their gmail app. i'm fine with having my mail checked every 30 mins. that was probably one of android's many battery draining issue faults. now getting Xbox live synced up with the phone was a little of a chore, but worth the reward in the end. getting messages from xbox players on my phone is definitely a neat addition. and i'm looking forward to being able to play xbox live games on it.
i have a feeling that Windows Phone 7 will be more fluid and well controlled like iPhone. Android is just too sloppy and fragmented. too many app reviews on the Android Market with folks complaining the app won't work on their phone or having different side effects. if you're gonna have an OS on multiples phones, 99% apps should work with every phone. free open source freedom is nice, but it definitely has it's downside. like the old west...everyone and everything needs a law and order to survive or everything goes to sh_ _. - i'm pretty sure John Wayne or someone said it
and as ATT customers we all know that they like to bloat the phones with their crapware. ESPECIALLY with android. but i found it easy just to uninstall ATT's software on this phone. i kept the U-Verse app just in case. may look into getting that possibly as where i live is just out of their area for U-Verse service on the tvs. Unlike with the HTC Aria i had to root the phone and sit around waiting for talented developers to remove the bloat and make a smooth running ROM, flash it, and hope it worked without bugs. without talented XDA Developers..android would be a mess and hassle for a lot of users.
just give it some time. Microsoft hasn't been in the mobile phone market this long and not learned it's lesson (obviously with windows mobile 6.5)
Software and UI: 8/10 - (it's still in it's infancy)
Sound Quality
sound is unbelievable on this phone. music pours out the phone like a good pair of logitech computer speakers. talking on the phone's mic or on speakerphone was very clear and smooth. unsure of why HTC Aria's volume was so low when making calls. i literally had to enable the hearing aid function on the phone, which boosts the volume level slightly higher. still too low in my opinion.
i don't use and do not care for bluetooth, so i can't give an honest opinion or review on that. but Samsung definitely not slack on the audio quality of the phone.
Sound: 10/10
Screen
screen is what caught my attention in the ATT store while eye browsing the whole scene originally looking for the HTC Inspire 4G. the Samsung Focus's screen just popped out and caught my attention. sitting in between the LQ Quantum and the HTC Surround..it was CLEAR the Samsung Focus's screen was the best of the bunch.
Using it in the sun was no problem with the brightness setting set on Medium. I occasionally switch back to low setting when i'm indoors in my apartment or shopping. everything is clear and crisp and almost pop off the screen. i've played with friends' iphone 4's and honestly don't notice too much of a difference in the quality of the display.
Screen: 10+/10
Camera
camera is EXCELLENT on this phone. pictures are crisp and bright. the LED flash is bright but doesn't last as long as it did with a previous Blackberry Curve phone. i've played around a little with the video recording, which is crisp and clear also. sound recording through it is a little deep...expected though. it's not exactly a high-end camcorder. could do with a review option. pictures are snapped and automatcially back to camera mode without a chance to looking at the picture you just took. which i guess is good for those fast random shots. but it would be nice to have an option. and the reverting back to default options after you exit the camera is a little of a hassle and something Microsoft felt was what users would want. hopefully an update will allow more options. other than that i'm very satisfied with the camera's quality and ease of use.
Camera: 9/10
Battery
battery actually seems to be pretty solid for 1500maH...standard for most smartphones. after a couple of days of heavy use, i'd say it would last a whole day with fair amount use. i'm definitely not charging it as much as i was with the Android phone. android apps you took too much of a risk of it sipping on your battery. it was like trial and error trying to figure out what apps wouldn't drain your battery. time waster. i'd probably get a solid 9-10 hrs of use on my HTC Aria before grabbin the charger. on the first full charge with the Focus and full day use...heavy browsing, emails throughou the day, average amounts of texts from friends, picture taking, recorded a short video, installed and tried out some weather apps...i was able to get a good 12-14 hrs of use. possibly longer as with the battery indicator..it's hard to tell how low you really are. there is no app or option to tell you. and from what i've read online, the programming kit Microsoft allows for the phone doesn't allow for pulling the battery information from the system. not a biggie though.
I can honestly say i'm happy with how long the battery lasted where as with the android phone, my charger was a constantly needed accessory no matter where i go. and the worry if an app would drain my battery while i'm out.
Battery: 9/10
Overall
i have a little less than 30 days to give this a good test run and give it back to ATT if i don't like it. but i'm pretty solidly chosen this is my phone to keep and daily driver. HTC Aria is going up on craigslist within the week.
Don't get me wrong now. i'm not trying to be one sided. the HTC Aria is a GOOD phone if you really want an android phone. for it's size and processor speed, it's a VERY fast and snappy and easy to use phone. but professional and smoothness...android hurts it. and i'm just too amazed how WP7 has just won me over so easily.
quoting one user...
Originally Posted by heymen9x
i think iOS is useful , android is interesting and WP7 is so .........sexyyyyyy
THANK YOU for that review.
I am in exactly the same boat as you having just gone from a HTC Aria to a WP7 Focus. It's taking me a bit to adjust.
I've only had the phone 24 hours and the obvious major difference is the screen size compared to the Aria. It's definitely different having all that extra screen real estate.
I was a major tweaker with Android so am finding it a little strange to not be doing much with the phone at the moment.
I also have 30 days to return the phone but want to give it a good run before making a decision.
Any suggestions for some really good apps / games?
yeah it's nice not having to flash roms, do nandroid backups and restores, and all that mess. and the keyboard alone on the WP7 is 100x better than using it on the Aria.
purchasing apps is also a lot less of a hassle on the WP7 Marketplace, as it's just added automatically onto your cell phone bill, well for AT&T users at least.
personally i have the following apps that i use almost daily...
Netflix - instantly grabbed it on the first search on the Market. movies look great on it and battery life could easily last thru 2 movies. so it makes it great for long road trips
Twitter - just makes it simple to use twitter. and i follow a few WP7 related twitters which helps keep me informed early on updates and news and new apps.
last.fm - i had mp3s at first..a couple hundered, but found myself bored with them after awhile. last.fm is close to pandora as you can get and it saves on using up the memory on your phone. and for us WP7 users, it's completely free. iphone and Android users have to a pay a $3 monthly fee or deal with ads. songs stream in pretty quick on 3g and it plays under the lockscreen.
thumba photo editor - one of the best photo editing apps on the market and only 0.99 cents. it does pretty much everything a PC photo editor does, minus layers and transparency. it helps crop down and resize the pictures you take since it's 5MP by default.
4th & Mayor - is great if you use Foursquare. it's better than Foursquare's official app. it loads quicker and just simpler to use. and from what i've read it has features even the official app doesn't app.
The Weather Channel - just to keep up with the weather.
The Harvest - great game to play if you have an Xbox Live account. it's like Halo RPG and shows off the WP7 gaming power pretty well. steep price ($6.99) but well worth it i've had it for a month and play it every now and than and still haven't completed it with the first unlocked character.
Bubble Birds - just a great time killing free game with great graphics
Quadra - another great free game that uses both your fingers at the same time.
Cool, thanks for the pointers.
I notice from your sig that you've installed the NoDo update. I'm assuming this is the unofficial one?
How easy it and is it worth it or shall I wait for the ATT roll out?
What other hacks / mode have you done / are there?
Been playing with the phone a bit more today, it's growing on me for sure but still unsure. I wish there was a better app drawer than having one big long list.
Yeah, the unofficial update.
Which I would avoid since you're still in your 30 day trial of it, until you're sure you want to keep her =)
It requires turning your Focus into a developer unlocked phone.
Its the only mod you really can do with it, besides sideloading unofficial apps. Which I'm avoiding. I just wanted the nodo update.
And if you haven't read up on it, avoid the cheveonwp7.updater PC application. Google it to read up why. The Hungary VPN hack is the only safe way.
Maybe an update will allow a folder structure in the app list to shorten it. Not that big of a deal overall
asiancuta said:
Yeah, the unofficial update.
Which I would avoid since you're still in your 30 day trial of it, until you're sure you want to keep her =)
It requires turning your Focus into a developer unlocked phone.
Its the only mod you really can do with it, besides sideloading unofficial apps. Which I'm avoiding. I just wanted the nodo update.
And if you haven't read up on it, avoid the cheveonwp7.updater PC application. Google it to read up why. The Hungary VPN hack is the only safe way.Maybe an update will allow a folder structure in the app list to shorten it. Not that big of a deal overall
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Is that to do with the fact MS can see what apps you are loading etc. with the Chevron method?
Haven't seen the Hungary VPN hack - is it listed on xda? I'll go have a look.
I'm pretty sure I'm keeping the Focus - I just put the Aria on eBay and CL. I like the Focus overall, I'm definitely spending less time messing around and tweaking and I'm just using the phone for its features.
Mind you, I still haven't had a really good stretch of time to just sit and play with it as I've been so busy at work. Downloaded a bunch of apps and games to try but just no time to try them yet.
I've decided I will probably just wait for the official AT&T NoDo update as it really should be landing this month anyway.
Actually, I unlocked my Focus using instructions found on this forum. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857127). I did not hack registry to change phone from AT&T.
I hooked up to my PC -different one than I used to install "unlock".
Logged on to Zune. My Focus then showed "Update Available". I went on to install the February update. Rebooted. Hooked phone up again to PC. Then showed "Update Available". Downloaded March update.
Everything working fine. No problems.
So, it is possible that you do not need the Hungarian link.