Related
I am considering one of these as I want a full keypad phone as I send more texts than I used to. I've only had windows based phones for about 5 years so I'm new to texting ).
Anyway. I have always used roms found here to improve my phones and am wanting to know which 6.5.1 rom is available for this which is stable and an improvement over the stock rom. I also know I will need to do an unlock and would like someone to advise on which is the best rom available, and where from.
Any help you can give is appreciated as always.
Thanks.
This is the best phone on the market. You don't need a phone with movable parts or a bigger screen or that can't fit in your pocket. Just make sure to dl and use opera mobile as well as for making sure you take advantage of all of the settings opera mobile offers. It allows you set your own zoom percentage and stuff like that as well as for allowing you to sync your bookmarks though the use of Opera Link. It works similar to activesync. When I see a good link I want to bookmark to my Pro while browsing with my desktop I can bookmark it to the Opera Mini folder and it will sync to my phone the next time I log into Opera Link using my Pro. Internet Explorer mobile is garbage. I got my sprint $69.95 package that includes everything(sprint navigation unlimited data and unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited any texting, and I only use about 250 landline calls every month even though I'm allowed 450) and make sure to dl pda net so you can use ur phone as a modem if you need to. I picked up a phone holder so that I can better use Sprint Navigation here.... http://shop.treonauts.com/arkon-cm910-vehicle-mount-kit-and-universal-holder/3A78A574.htm and mounted it just above my avh-p5100dvd that I have in my car. I was forced to dl jetwaremobile software to get the bluetooth to work from my pro to my avh headunit. They would see each other but wouldn't complete the connection for some reason, I think conflicting profiles. treocentral.com has the best forum. Make sure you dl all of the latest fixes and stuff, there's a sticky over there that includes them all. Love my pro.
Hi All
I'm possibly looking at a mega for my next work phone, and am interested in people's opinions.
Are there any noteable drawbacks to it? Any noteable positives?
My current work phone is a Vogue. Is it a good upgrade from the vogue? What's better about it?
Phone will be used primarily for email and calendar and calling.
Are there any other devices in the same price range which you wish you'd purchased instead?
OK..
I've had a few windows mobile devices over the years... kaiser, artemis, elf... the Mega is by far the best I've had. It's fast, small, got everything you need on it. Couldn't really fault it. As a business device, it connects to exchange without any extra software, you can surf the net fine (use Opera Mini!), GPS for travelling, wifi for fast data transfer. I've even persuaded my mum to get one!
I use my device mainly for email and browsing, occasional satnav, and of course phone. I recently tried the LG GD500 and the Samsung Tocco Light, and another new LG - none compare with Windows Mobile devices, and as far as WinMo devices go, the Mega is, in my opinion, the best combination of features, performance and size.
If you have a bit extra cash, get the HD2. Touch2 too small. Difficult to type for large fingers. TF2D 2.0 also has limited development.
Personally, I can't see why people get so obsessed with TF2d/Manila/Titanium/SPB/Throttlelauncher/Other Shells...
It's all just eye-candy. People start flashing new ROMs then complain that certain functions don't work, or it's too slow...
I may be in the minority here, but what I wand from my device is (a) basic everyday onformation on my initial screen - message count, diary for the next few days, time, and (b) quick access to my most commonly used functions - email, internet.
Touchflo, Titanium etc just add another layer of complexity that eats up memory, makes things harder to get to, and ultimately slows down the device. The stock roms are fast enough too, although I have to admit I do like playing with new roms, I always use a standard today screen rather than touchflo etc.
I understand the argument about size for typing, but there are bigger virtual keyboards if needed, and it's a personal choice - I find the size of the Mega the best all round compromise - big enough to be useable and small enough to stick in your jeans pocket without being uncomfortable...
Rant over, sorry!
TangerineTractor said:
Personally, I can't see why people g........
Rant over, sorry!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for that .
If you really really need a so called 'Business Device', then IMHO neither Touch2 nor Touch HD2 cut the ice, get a phone with a real key pad .. like TP2 . I can mail better with my vox or even my B7320 than I can with my Touch2, but Touch2 is a much better and more complete device .
Phones like TD2 or HD2 are really good emailing and calender phones.
The drawback on Touch2 is the calender. It is really bad the way i see it. Even in TouchFlo it doesnt have a good calender. Its just horrifying for me. If you compare it to the 3D of Td2 and HD2 its really bad. TouchFlo3D has awesome calender and appointments, calender mainly due to the fact it shows the dates like a real calender but touch2 shows a long line and very inconvenient.
Emailing is okay but if u hav alot of emails you might want to get a long phone like Td2 to see all ur emails in one screen without scrolling down alot.
If you have big fingers ur going to find texting Very hard.
It only has QWERTY and Phone Keypad while HD2 has Qwerty,semi qwerty and many more.
In the end its ur decision
Thanks guys. I'm limited by how much the company will spend on a phone for me - the price of the Mega is about the maximum they will spend, and I'm not allowed to top up (I would have to buy my own phone with no compensation).
I'm also limited by the fact it has to be a phone advertised by telecom NZ (www.telecom.co.nz) - the mega is not there yet but it will be in the next couple of weeks according to the insider I've talked to.
I found a decent calendar app while I was running winmo on the Vogue, so I'm sure I can find one for the Mega.
How is the speed and screen responsiveness? That's the major drawback to the Vogue.
AaronNZ said:
Thanks guys. I'm limited by how much the company will spend on a phone for me - the price of the Mega is about the maximum they will spend, and I'm not allowed to top up (I would have to buy my own phone with no compensation).
I'm also limited by the fact it has to be a phone advertised by telecom NZ (www.telecom.co.nz) - the mega is not there yet but it will be in the next couple of weeks according to the insider I've talked to.
I found a decent calendar app while I was running winmo on the Vogue, so I'm sure I can find one for the Mega.
How is the speed and screen responsiveness? That's the major drawback to the Vogue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues with speed or responsiveness. If you need a decent calendar, disable the touchflo stuff and put todayagenda (free) on your todayscreen.
pretty nice PDA put on Tiger Clean ROM and u've got 4 days of battery life
and yes , u can find another calendar app for the Mega and the problem is solved ;]]
Hi all,
any of You jumped the train from a TP2. Care to give some comparing between these two. Speed / stability (stock) / functionality.
This is one of the phones I am thinking about, would love to hear your experience.
Ruud
Yep, I made the jump and I know I'm not alone. In short, the DZ is miles better than the TP2. It's much faster, smoother, and all the Android stuff just works very nicely. Tons and tons of apps in the Android market. No issues with running out of RAM.
Build quality is awesome IMHO.
I do miss the extra row of keys that the TP2 keyboard has, but I think the buttons on the DZ keyboard are even better than the TP2 buttons.
I'm still running a stock ROM and am not even overclocking yet (and huge overclocking increases are possible).
Can you tell that I quite like my DZ ?
Well, I did take a plunge a week ago and I'm more than impressed. Everything is pretty much where I'd expect it to be. There was some initial 'seething' issues with changing from winmo to Android, but after 2 days I got used to it without any probs.
There is one thing that may be an issue, (its not phone related but OS related).... please correct me if I'm wrong but only today I realized that Android DOES NOT SUPPORT BT INITIATED DIALLING. So, keep that in mind... it turns out to be a big obstacle for devs and can be an issue for some....
There are apps out there trying to imitate the feature but I found them to be a complete waste of time.
Other than that, go on, make a switch, you will not regret
sent from htc desire Z
Almost every aspect is better, especially speed and responsiveness, android market is lots of fun, as well as htc sense's seamless integration with lots of different services.
GPS is infinitely faster at locking on and there is no lag. If you have copilot for winmo, it should work on android too (deactivate 1st)
The downsides of Z: the 4 row keyboard is inferior, plus lack of directional keys (the touch button isnt as convenient to use), but there isn't much choice if you're going for android.
Hinge mechanism isn't a step forward, more like a step sideways if not backwards.
I've yet to find a good video player, importing ringtones or other system sounds is a bit more painful (others might disagree). Active syncs equivalent, HTC sync is ok-ish and makes life a bit easier.
No MS Office programs, gotta buy alternatives (can somebody recommend one?)
My TP2s battery seems to last longer in comparison.
And finally, flashing custom roms onto TP2 was infinitely easier than on DZ (I've yet to brave rooting)
toosas said:
GPS is infinitely faster at locking on and there is no lag.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes, I forgot that one. I can't believe how quick my DZ gives me a GPS lock !
No MS Office programs, gotta buy alternatives (can somebody recommend one?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the built-in QuickOffice ? Not as much functionality as Office Mobile of course, but not bad for free.
Hi all,
thanks for your nice reactions.
I feel that the DZ might be a good choice, but some minor things are just unknowns to me.
To go by the topics mentioned by You all :
BT initiated calls, no problem, I am not using that.
@steviewevie, Yes, I can see You like it
I understand the keyboard to be worse than the TP2, but still better than the DHD or HD7 which do not have a real keyboard anyway. I think I can live with the fact that I cannot "bend" it towards me. IF I go for a keyboard again, I will probably have not much choice.
I am very much using the synchronizing of exchange mail, contact & calendar. Do I understand that the DZ out of the box cannot do this, so I need to purchase something, Which software is confirmed to be working without mistakes ?
Further I am using Excel to open some of the files I synchronize through USB (ASync now). I understand that the software to open or work with them will be another one, will the mentioned QuickOffice let me do this, or what other solutions can You this (I am not against paying, but it just should be working)
What about internet sharing, is this flawless ?
Thanks once again for your answers !
Ruud
Ruud Westerhout said:
I am very much using the synchronizing of exchange mail, contact & calendar. Do I understand that the DZ out of the box cannot do this, so I need to purchase something, Which software is confirmed to be working without mistakes ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my TP2 I used to sync my Outlook (2007) Calendar with my phone. I initially tried using HTC Sync (free software download) to do this with my DZ, but I found trouble sync'ing edited repeated appointments. I found that Google's own Calendar Sync utility worked well though (from their site). So I used that to sync my Outlook Calendar with the Google Calendar (online), and now they both stay in sync with my phone.
I never used to sync my Outlook Contacts with my phone. What I did was to find a utility to export them from my phone in CSV format, then imported them to Google Contacts online, and then keep them in sync with my phone that way. HTC Sync is meant to handle Outlook Contacts, but I haven't tried it.
I can't comment on Exchange mail. There was a bug with that in the stock ROM, not sure what the outcome was, I think there was a workaround - try a search.
Further I am using Excel to open some of the files I synchronize through USB (ASync now). I understand that the software to open or work with them will be another one, will the mentioned QuickOffice let me do this, or what other solutions can You this (I am not against paying, but it just should be working)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QuickOffice will let you edit Excel spreadsheets, yes. I imagine there are some limitations but I haven't tried it out myself yet.
What about internet sharing, is this flawless ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Internet sharing in what way ? You can use the DZ as a Wi-Fi hotspot (not tried it myself) or you can use it for tethering a PC/laptop.
steviewevie said:
I can't comment on Exchange mail. There was a bug with that in the stock ROM, not sure what the outcome was, I think there was a workaround - try a search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bummer, that is a real must for me. I have a gmail account privately, but I need corporate email etc. through exchange. No way around it.
Anybody to recommend what software is working here ?
steviewevie said:
QuickOffice will let you edit Excel spreadsheets, yes. I imagine there are some limitations but I haven't tried it out myself yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that would be enough. My requirements are very poor. Opening, looking and a seldom change of value, nothing much really.
steviewevie said:
Internet sharing in what way ? You can use the DZ as a Wi-Fi hotspot (not tried it myself) or you can use it for tethering a PC/laptop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I am doing today is connect the TP2 to my PC in an area where I do not have any other internet connection. The TP2 will provide internet connection towards my PC in such way. After that I can go to our VPN in the office, I can use all corporate applications I need etc. (through Citrix) Main thing is I need the PC to receive internet. Today this is done by one of the options I get when connecting the USB cable to my laptop (Async, Internet Sharing, Hard Disk accesss)
I just do not know what tethering is ?
regards,
Ruud
Ruud Westerhout said:
Bummer, that is a real must for me. I have a gmail account privately, but I need corporate email etc. through exchange. No way around it.
Anybody to recommend what software is working here ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out this thread, where a workaround for the problem is available, and maybe ask there - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=832931&highlight=exchange
What I am doing today is connect the TP2 to my PC in an area where I do not have any other internet connection. The TP2 will provide internet connection towards my PC in such way. After that I can go to our VPN in the office, I can use all corporate applications I need etc. (through Citrix) Main thing is I need the PC to receive internet. Today this is done by one of the options I get when connecting the USB cable to my laptop (Async, Internet Sharing, Hard Disk accesss)
I just do not know what tethering is ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tethering is exactly that. Yes, it works fine. Not sure about the VPN bit but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Bear in mind that with Android, we have the source code for the vast majority of stuff. So if there are glitches, someone can try and fix it without having to wait for the vendor to do so !
Made de jump few weeks ago... Man what a change....
Almost everything works better/smoother/faster/more stable.
Only minor thing I can think of is the keyboard and the lack of directional keys.. but that is just a matter of changing your habits...
Go for it dude... TP2 was good until DZ came out !!
Ruud Westerhout said:
I am very much using the synchronizing of exchange mail, contact & calendar. Do I understand that the DZ out of the box cannot do this, so I need to purchase something, Which software is confirmed to be working without mistakes ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of the box, Froyo does have basic ability to synchronise Exchange mail, contacts and calendar. However it doesn't have the full features of Exchange Activesync (like searching the exchange server and some security options like device encryption). As steviewevie points out, the known bug seems to be with Exchange server 2010.
You might want to have a look at Touchdown, which gives you back some functionality. The downside is that you have to buy it (although the trial is 30 days to test it out). It uses its own interface for calendar, email, and tasks, so they can't be 'combined' with the HTC ones. Contacts can be combined with the phone's contacts, but editing these contacts must be done via Touchdown's interface. See here for a review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJM46Rno3M4
If you need to sync with Exchange server 2007 or older, and only want simple synchronisation with email, contacts and calendar, then the Desire Z should manage that. Anything else though, then do investigate the thread steviewevie has posted, and also see whether you need to get an app like Touchdown.
Hope that helps.
ok but what about the sound quality, I am led to believe the Desire Z has a mono speaker so calls are mostly missed, whereas the TP2 had stereo, am i correct?
Hi Monomer888,
highly appreciated comments.
Had a look at the link, this looks impressive to me, I might really jump for touchdown if I see that the build in function does not do the job. But I will just start without Touchdown, we use Exchange2007.
Hi, kappo78,
I have no idea about the speakers in either of them. Why would I miss out on something if I have only mono ?
Ruud
The speakerphone quality on the DZ isn't as good as the TP2. Don't know if this can be tweaked or not, I don't recall reading that anyone has tried that yet.
The audio quality, however, listening through headphones, is apparently very good. There's a separate thread on that.
I'm using Windows Phone 7 on my HD2 in dual mode with Android and want to share my experienes after 3 weeks:
Windows Phone 7
pro:
-performance
contra:
- battery life
- no "really" navigation solution
- no "really" apps from third party (my Synology NAS Station, my Fritz AVM Router, XBMC, .... )
- Zune
Zune reminds me to Apple's Itunes. I prefer "Mass Storage" and could not follow this way with Zune .
I know that they are registry hacks for mass storage method and "ways" to get navigation to work, but until they are not official, windows phone is not really an opportunity for me.
Oh.....ok....
masteroe12 said:
I know that they are registry hacks for mass storage method and "ways" to get navigation to work, but until they are not official, windows phone is not really an opportunity for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what an insightful post, you're in an XDA forum but you're too lazy to "hack" your phone
windows phone 7 is still a baby compared to android and iOS. the partnership with nokia means the ovi store is merging with the marketplace, so this should help, plus the changes in free submissions (allowing 99 free submissions i think) will also help.
its also worth remembering that windows phone 7 on a HD2 is also not official, so i dont see why you would have an issue with unofficial registry hacks!
personally the limitation for me is apps. having used android, i got into the habbit of downloading apps out of bordem, but that is more limited on wp7. i also think the pricing for some of the apps and gams is a little high compared with other platforms. but these often change with time.
i quite like zune in comparison with windows mobile device centre, but i do agree it has some similaritys with itunes.
dont use it if u dont like it
Mrakes said:
dont use it if u dont like it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly,
Don't buy it if you're not going to eat it
Edit :
Btw, Your title is just, with all respect, stupid.
Wp7 on hd2 and 1gb of cab file storage
Thanks to all the guys that were involved in developing wp7 for the Hd2. What do you think if Microsoft allowed 1gb of cab file storage on the wp7 platform of the costumers choosing, and they could add or remove files as they please in that 1gb of space?
That's a shame. Put a little time in and get alot out!! You really are missing out.
masteroe12 said:
I'm using Windows Phone 7 on my HD2 in dual mode with Android and want to share my experienes after 3 weeks:
Windows Phone 7
pro:
-performance
contra:
- battery life
- no "really" navigation solution
- no "really" apps from third party (my Synology NAS Station, my Fritz AVM Router, XBMC, .... )
- Zune
Zune reminds me to Apple's Itunes. I prefer "Mass Storage" and could not follow this way with Zune .
I know that they are registry hacks for mass storage method and "ways" to get navigation to work, but until they are not official, windows phone is not really an opportunity for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wowwww.!!!! This one of the most insightful post !!!!!
Ok m8.... You are probably the XDA guy that ask for help to a problem ...nad the solution is 3-4 posts above !!!!!
Ok.. no prob.... its an alternative to a lot of guys arround here ... and they are lucky to be XDA members...
colossus
I love WP7 even though there are still missing features and cant see myself going back to anything else...and WP7 imo will only improve.
The guy has a point too...
There are a lot of things missing from the WP7.There should be at least one normal GPS software, but there is not.
I used WP7, i like were it is going, the battery is better than in Android but at the end of the day i still end up using Android.
Android then WP7, back to Android and so on.Great to have a HD2.
;-))
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
omarza said:
I love WP7 even though there are still missing features and cant see myself going back to anything else...and WP7 imo will only improve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm totally with you - the Zune pass got me. I love being able to tag something with Shazam and then have the song or album in a few minutes from the Marketplace.
I have random issues with sound from my headphones, and having to flip to video mode to get the camera to focus kinda bites at times, but those are minor issues compared to all the reboots, hangs, freezes I had with even the stock 6.x rom -
WP7 is great, so great that I almost daily want to go get a real HD7 so I have full hardware functionality.
berbecverde said:
The guy has a point too...
There are a lot of things missing from the WP7.There should be at least one normal GPS software, but there is not.
I used WP7, i like were it is going, the battery is better than in Android but at the end of the day i still end up using Android.
Android then WP7, back to Android and so on.Great to have a HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried very hard have you?... The built in Map application functions fine for GPS - There's no voice telling you where to go, but anyone can follow the yellow dot... If you need turn by turn, there's always Telenav from T-Mobile...
I just need gps with maps on the device. is this suppose to be on the ovi store? when is that coming?
I too am using dual boot to wp7 and android and enjoying how they compliment each other with both having there strong points that makes up for their individual short comings.
As the wp7 build matures it will only get better. The wp7 takes about 15 seconds to load and the sd android build that I have takes less than 3mins so I can live with switching back and forth.
I really like netflix, the call quality, and email on wp7. Games, gps, maps, flash support, internet browsing, video, and camera I prefer the android build I use.
For me the switching between the two OSs works well.
by definition it is an alternative.
I suppoes you mean, isnt a "good" alternative
My question to you is alternative to what? an iphone? android? pen and paper? carrier Pigeons?
and even then, "good" is subjective, carrier pigeons and pen and paper have many uses that my phone wouldnt be "good" alternative for, for instance i couldnt feed my phone bread in the park, or let me kid run after it flapping like a bird scaring them away, and coming back to IT, i find its completely fine, works, works well, its a perfect "alternative" for me
Huge sweeping statments are a bit daft, fair doos, its not your cup of tea, but i dont think we have to hear about it, after all i couldnt care less what your opinion is because i have my own as do you and thats your right. but im not going to start a thread telling all about my opinion, especially since all your opinions of what are bad are in the public domain, you would have known about them before you even installed it, so its not even a constructive debate or indeed a question,
infact what is the point? to regurgitate the same information thats already been around the block several times?
dgabriel said:
Haven't tried very hard have you?... The built in Map application functions fine for GPS - There's no voice telling you where to go, but anyone can follow the yellow dot... If you need turn by turn, there's always Telenav from T-Mobile...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did try but still you can not compare the Navigation available on other platforms with the one(s) available for WP7.This is a problem for me since i can not drive and look at the map the same time.
And Copilot and Navigon said the do not know when or if there will be a Navigation software made by them for WP7.Maybe someone else.
So yes i try and do my homework before i speak.
berbecverde said:
I did try but still you can not compare the Navigation available on other platforms with the one(s) available for WP7.This is a problem for me since i can not drive and look at the map the same time.
And Copilot and Navigon said the do not know when or if there will be a Navigation software made by them for WP7.Maybe someone else.
So yes i try and do my homework before i speak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish copilot would release something, its been almost 5 months.
Gabe3 said:
I wish copilot would release something, its been almost 5 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/copilot-live-navigation-not-coming-to-windows-phone-7
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/tomtom-disinterested-in-windows-phone-7-too
Ive been using my hd2 for a long while now on android and its been superb. But I still look over at WM7 forums am im very tempted to give it ago.
Is everything working now on the newer releases?? Whats the battery life like?
Some one sell me WP7
Thanks for your help
Cheers
Baker0
i have my htc hd2 long time i test more then 150 roms on 6.5 version , and andorid , i admit android is a nice room , i start using wm7 nodo version ,its realy amazing rom , very fast rom ( similar iphone) no bugs . this room was made for internet and entretainment users.
1-the battery life is ok almost 40h using like a normal mobilephone, but need a ]trick ,]bcs wm7 on hd2 have a drivers problm in camera its make drain battery more then normal but with the trick u resolve that , the other problem is no aplication to use wifi router on wm7 .
2-in wm7 we cant type the number and show the name like in 6.5 rom , u need go to your phone list to search the name you want to call.~~
3-wm7 not suported outlook to sync the contacts , u need have a Key FROM microsoft to conect ur windows live acount and from there u can pass all your contacts
since hd2 official not suported wm7 , and wm7 is so good on hd2 , try using that u will never go back to others roms
i hope this information is helpful for u change....
Baker0 said:
Ive been using my hd2 for a long while now on android and its been superb. But I still look over at WM7 forums am im very tempted to give it ago.
Is everything working now on the newer releases?? Whats the battery life like?
Some one sell me WP7
Thanks for your help
Cheers
Baker0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried WP7 and it is truely a smooth operating system on the HD2. For me, there are two fundamental problems with WP7 which ruin the experience. The camera driver is still terrible - never use flash and no auto focus. Also the multitouch only works if you place your two fingers down at exactly the same time.
If you don't use the camera, and you can live with the dodgy multitouch - it is a great ROM.
there is a software camera .006 it correct the problem about the auto focus . with that, the pic show nice.
Lynehammike said:
I have tried WP7 and it is truely a smooth operating system on the HD2. For me, there are two fundamental problems with WP7 which ruin the experience. The camera driver is still terrible - never use flash and no auto focus. Also the multitouch only works if you place your two fingers down at exactly the same time.
If you don't use the camera, and you can live with the dodgy multitouch - it is a great ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On top of these what kills it for me is that there is not a good navigation program. Other than that it is pretty damn awesome.
The current non-Sense Android ROMs are actually working perfectly on our HD2s, the biggest problem (for me) is the battery life. WP7 however has some issues on the HD2.
First of all you have to have an SD card that works (correctly) with WP7. Then, if you move to WP7 you will find yourself in a less open environment: less apps, no usb drive option, less control of your phone. You will also lose some Google functionalities you had in Android (Navigation app, sync multiple calendars, maps). You will lose flash support. You will have to call Microsoft for an activation code if you want the live services (access to market apps). This brings a lot of pain in the a$s...
BUT! If your installation is successful you will have a very smooth OS with a great integration of facebook and google contacts synchronization. With Zune software you can synchronize your phone with your movies and music. You will get a pretty good battery life and a fully functioning phone. I flashed a WP7 ROM last week and i think I'll stick with it for a while.
Hope this helps
Thank you for your help, camera is a big one for me.... Does USB tethering work?
I'll chime in not to necessarily "sell it" but coming from a strictly WinMo background. I have Android on SD, but I've refused to have it as a main OS simply because WM has been everything I needed for years. I'm not an "app"er, could care less about market saturation, as long as I can find, somehow, the tools I need for day to day.
Coming from that background, I decided to give WP7 a go about 2 weeks ago when finally nodo was available to us on HD2. So far its been a double edged sword to me. I miss my openness already. That's my first thoughts. I miss being able to transfer files on the fly and even as simply as move files internally to deep level private folders. In WM6.5 I was to the point of using my phone as a boot-able agent for PC repairs. I would have said I miss syncing directly to Outlook, because for almost 10 years that's where all of my contacts have been stored and backed up, but MS forced me to make an exchange server with Office 2010. I think I'd be damned if I had to move my info online to an external server. Though I did activate my phone to Live, the only cloud service I use is the marketplace. Another thing I miss a lot is Sense, lol I know silly but I absolutely loved that interface.
And what I'm liking about WP7 so far, is one of the main pushes for the phone, that it is a nice neat little interface (though I really wish someone would hack sense into it). Its fast, very fast, and easy to use (which isn't really that big a deal to me because I thrive on difficult and complicated, and used to love having a phone I knew not many people could just pick up and get into), but it is very easy none the less. The marketplace has so far had a ton of apps that I do use almost daily now (which is making it harder for me to think about re-flashing 6.5). Actually the apps are the only things that's keeping me from going back at the moment. I kind of feel like I want to wait for Mango and more hacks so I can have my control back, but damned if I won't miss some of the apps.
Battery life is a bit spotty for me, because I live in a rural area at the moment and if I don't turn on airplane mode when I get home, drain down to nothing in a matter of a hours. I did a test the other day while I was out and had full H and staring from almost 100% went through about 45 min of a 93 min movie from netflix and battery was almost dead. I've learned though, the way I use my phone no matter what OS, I have to charge it all the time anyways.
That's my report, hope it helps ;-)
edit: there is a workaround for tethering with DFrouter but its sort of like the USB Storage workaround.
Long time WinMo user that made the switch with NoDo. I haven't shot any photos that required flash, but the photos I have taken with the camera were fine. I got an activation code via chat in 5 minutes or so, so that wasn't and issue. I went through the hassle of formatting my card to allow me to load Android, so when I do need to tether, I have that option.
My biggest complaint so far is the sound is overdriven, which seems to be fixable via registry tweak. In spite of loading Tom's xap, I haven't been able to successfully side-load an app that will let me work the registry a bit. But that's operator error, at some point I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong.
I just checked into NRG's 6.5 thread to see if there was anything new, a habit that will take me a long time to break. At this point, I don't see myself going backwards. I much prefer WP7 over Android, and though there is one app I really miss from WinMo (SplashID), I've found workarounds for the rest. I much prefer the e-mail and calendar interfaces on WP7, and it I'll admit it is kind of nice to have some cool, high graphics games on my day-to-day OS. Having been a smart phone user forever, I'm used to having chargers and battery spares, so battery life isn't much of a consideration for me.
I highly recommend you give it a try. Worst case, you just flash back. Good Luck!
I was in the same boat you are in right now, but there was no way to move away from Android. My love for Android and my loyalty are true to the core. What did I do? I got both. I have 16GB MicroSD Card Class 10 and with sick video guide from 96edwy I now have Dual Boot HTC HD2 running XBmod v1.10 NODO and American Android 2.3.2 !!!
Like everyone else I had my period of "Flash Madness" where I flashed about 5 times a day but it slowed down few months ago with new job and all. My ultimate solution: I have best of both worlds!!! Nirvana state of mind....
I love my Android, but I also love WP7 and right now mobile device gods are smiling on me
What OS to use...
Hi all, I tried them all on HD2 WM 6.5, 6.5.X,Froyo on SD,WP7 and finally stuck on Ginger in ROM. What is best for you depends on what kind of user you are. For example - I'm not into gaming on my phone, I don't have a facebook or twitter acc and couldnt care less about social networking,I use email extensively, care about outlook integration, office docs, use a lot of browsing, watch a lot of youtube and news aps...
WM 6.5(.X)
GOOD
- Looks great (the weather animations are so cool, the tabs are functional and fun way to use the phone)
- Has USB storage mode
- Has USB and WiFi tethering capability
- Can sync with outlook mail and contacts or any other mail with such ease that flashing and putting it back to running state takes less than 5 minutes
- Has a ton of GREAT GPS apps like iGo etc
- Best battery life of HD2 is of course on a original 6.5 ROM, nothing you flash will top that
- Skype works, although a very old version that you have to install yourself
- Can be used until the battery is dead and then recharged without a problem (not like android or wp7 ports)
- You can customize the home screen with addons like cookies home tab etc, lo limited customization is available (no widget support like in android etc)
- From just a month ago you can enjoy high res YouTube videos
BAD
- Sometimes laggy
- Browsing experience is ages behind Android and WP7, no flash support etc
- Camera is bad compared to the one on Andoird for example
- Live wallpapers are not as good as the ones on android and theres so few to choose from
- No universal search option (like on Android or BB devices)
- Gaming suck
- Development is dying or almost dead
WP7
GOOD
- Soooooo cool looking, fastest interface ever, extra intuitive and modern
- Mail app is great, very well thought trough and nice looking
- The best social networking integration, deeply into contacts
- Great gaming experience with xbox live
BAD
- Camera is only usable trough an external app, the built in is ****ty
- No direct outlook sync
- Has to be activated with MS
- No usb or wifi tethering
- No usb flash mode
- No GPS apps whatsoever, not even Google maps
- Live tiles are cool but third party apps cant really use their full potential (solved in upcoming Mango release but you'll have to wait for like a year to get it)
- No skype
- No universal search option (like on Android or BB devices), the search button is reserved for Bing search (maybe I'm wrong on this one, but as I recall you cant get to contacts so easly)
- A very long and thus very hard to use app drawer
- Cant use your own mp3 ringtones (might be wrong on this one correct me if I'm way off here)
- No real multitasking
- multitouch is implemented poorly
Android
GOOD
- Great looking interface, live wallpapers etc
- A lot of apps and games (best YouTube app ever, Skype is working fine etc.
- I just cant live without the universal search option I use all the time, so where ever you might be in the interface you are one button click away from your contacts or google search
- Has available GPS navigation software from Google maps to iGo etc.
- Great social networking apps but those options are not so deeply built in to the OS like in wp7
- USB and wifi tethering is working (not in my build for some reason but I can live without this option)
- USB flash mode working
- Multitasking
- The best camera on HD2 (a lot better than the one on the original rom)
- multitouch wirks just fine
BAD
- Battery life is bad even on phones designed for Android, let alone on ported ones
- No direct outlook sync ( a big minus for me, but not necessarily for everyone)
So, if you look at the pros and cons, the result is - your HD2 is the most functional with Android, then with good old WM 6.5 and at the end with WP7. WP7 needs to be polished, regardless of the quality of the HD2 port which is very close to the real thing. Mango update is coming this fall, but a lot of things are not addressed in it and MS need in my humble opinion another year to fix all missing bits...
Well i think everyone has said pretty much everything there is to say, i think all the bad points have been mentioned
all i would say is this,
WP7 is a different OS, its nothing like previous OS platforms on the HD2, you cant compare them as they are for different markets.
I was/am a heavy WM user, WM is a beast of an OS and there is nothing it cant do except games, had Microsoft not been completely shafted by OEMs, QC and the networks, WM would have been a modern day contender, as it is however it may be a beast of an OS but it isnt pretty and its laggy.
I tried Android for quite a while and i just found it fragmented, apart from games which isnt something i use there is little to know benifit over WM, yeah it looks good and is smoother but i just got board with it to be honest. its less functional than WM but is smoother, the UI is not much of an improvment in my opinion.
So i tried WP7, to start with i thought it was crap, very little functionality to the other two, very smooth, but then something odd happened, the UI just grew on me, the intigration of the OS became somthing i thought was great, it took about 2-4 weeks before i suddenly realised i absolutely love the thing, so i tried dropping back to Android for a while and i hated it.
in short, WP7 changes the way in which you use the device, the best and most accurate way of looking at it is, Windows Mobile is the best pocketPC platform out there (not including games) Windows Phone is the best SMARTPHONE out there, there is a difference, i have a second device which runs WM now, im longing for the day someone can port WM to an SD card
Yep, couldnt agree more with dazza. WP7 is all about PHONE experience! Most of us are not app freaks and use our PHONE primarily as a communication device, not a gaming platform or a replacement for a compass or a GPS device... All those devices do a better job on their own than any hybrid will so bottom line, WP7 takes me where I wanna be - focused on communicating with people - I can quickly get to my contacts, check what they've been up to, read and send emails and texts, send them a pic or two, surf the web a bit... And no other OS right now does that better, faster and cooler than WP7. Period.
superpeca said:
Yep, couldnt agree more with dazza. WP7 is all about PHONE experience! Most of us are not app freaks and use our PHONE primarily as a communication device, not a gaming platform or a replacement for a compass or a GPS device... All those devices do a better job on their own than any hybrid will so bottom line, WP7 takes me where I wanna be - focused on communicating with people - I can quickly get to my contacts, check what they've been up to, read and send emails and texts, send them a pic or two, surf the web a bit... And no other OS right now does that better, faster and cooler than WP7. Period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if the battery life is better Its only 6 hours from the last full charge and the battery is already down by half
Roxxx
Yeahhh..
I think WP7 on HD2 is awesome!
I also at first thought, that its missing functionality, like file managers, copying files to device and back etc.. The GPS and so on.
But i must say, WP7 is awesome, the integration into Facebook, the browser, the mail client is fantastic. It was not made to be like WM 6.5 etc, this is something on its own....
And it is really growing on all of us
Looking forward to the updates, and more software to be added.
We just have to live with the short battery life!
Windows Phone Device Manager
Also....
I am not sure if some of you guys have checked this out?
http://www.touchxperience.com/
This is a beta project, and its awesome! Allows custom ringtones, copy files to device and back. This is going to be great.
Try it out!