[Q] MySense UI - myTouch 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So I was intending on buying the G2 when I came across an announcement for the MyTouch 4g. It's a fairly impressive phone, and in a couple of regards may be better than the G2... but what nags me more than anything is the HTC UI that clobbers Android 2.2's normal UI (which I absolutely love).
The question is (and deciding which phone to buy may hinge here): can I root the phone and destroy their UI in favor of 2.2s superior interface and still maintain the essential apps the phone needs, such as the videochat apps?

tsuujin said:
So I was intending on buying the G2 when I came across an announcement for the MyTouch 4g. It's a fairly impressive phone, and in a couple of regards may be better than the G2... but what nags me more than anything is the HTC UI that clobbers Android 2.2's normal UI (which I absolutely love).
The question is (and deciding which phone to buy may hinge here): can I root the phone and destroy their UI in favor of 2.2s superior interface and still maintain the essential apps the phone needs, such as the videochat apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the phone has been out about a dozen days and we already have full root and you can do anything you want to the sense UI if you don't like it. It has a LOT faster processor (1 ghz snapdragon 2nd gen compared to 800 mhz on the G2) and then you have to content with the G2 flimsy hinges. This is a better phone

Excellent.

lonlawrence said:
Yes, the phone has been out about a dozen days and we already have full root and you can do anything you want to the sense UI if you don't like it. It has a LOT faster processor (1 ghz snapdragon 2nd gen compared to 800 mhz on the G2) and then you have to content with the G2 flimsy hinges. This is a better phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and cyanogen mod is on its way we have a stock rom

AndroidFeens said:
and cyanogen mod is on its way we have a stock rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where can I find the stock rom you are talking about?

moustafaraslan said:
Where can I find the stock rom you are talking about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Under android development category. Search for cm 6.1 alpha. Its not an official rom yet but you are able to use it as an everyday rom if you can live without video playback or camera. Reason iz cuz the camera is really buggy and they have yet to find the problem for it. When they find the bug, well have a fixed camera and video playback.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Coming from the G2, I am much happier with the myTouch 4G. The phone definitely feels like it is more solid in terms of build quality. The camera shutter button feels amazing, whereas the G2's felt cheap. No annoying hinge issues, though, the included Swype keyboard lacks the microphone key (so annoying that they can't just standardize Swype across all phones with the same button layout).
The biggest and most annoying difference (besides the 'Genius Button' that I will speak of later), is that the back door on the myTouch 4G is awfully hard to remove. You will break your fingernail trying to pop it open. On the plus side, the Micro-SD card is totally hot-swappable; assuming you can ever get to it without a pry bar.
Problems that it shares with the G2 (and HTC phones): Poor speaker quality; the camera's picture / video quality blows hard (doesn't hold a candle to the iPhone / Galaxy S). Though I will say this: pictures with the flash on this phone actually look pretty decent, whereas they looked absolutely abysmal on the G2.
The included solution for video chat is really quite poor. Qik does not work very well, cross-platform. I had a number of issues trying to talk to friends with other devices. Until the Nexus S comes out, video chat will remain a novelty. Once it is integrated into GTalk, it will become more standardized.
I really enjoy the myTouch 4G, but there are issues with MySense that annoy the **** out of me. For example: not being able to customize the launch dock to remove 'MyFaves'. Also, the Dragon Dictation 'Genius Button' is anything but. While the hands-free announcements are cool, everything else about it is wildly inaccurate and irritating. 9 times out of 10, I will command "More Options", and it will try to send a text message to 'Google'. How utterly useless. If the stock HTC Rom allowed you to toggle the Genius button between Dragon Dictation and Stock Google Search, I'd be 100% happy. Alas, one must root to acquire such no-brainer options.
I'm still on the fence, to be honest. I have about a day to decide. The Nexus S is a mighty nice phone, with a similar feel and weight. However, I really enjoy the HTC customizations that were lifted straight out of iOS (copy + paste w/ magnifying glass, alarm / date scroll wheels for the clock and calendar), and I'm looking forward to some official docks.
I came to Android from the iPhone hacking scene. I grew tired of playing cat and mouse (flashing and re-flashing), and hoped that I could just buy a nice Android phone and not have to worry about obtaining root and so forth. For once, I wanted to just 'go legit' and let the good graces of Android carry me up to heaven. Alas, nothing is ever as 'open' or modular as one would hope.
As far as the G2 is concerned: had the hinge not been a floppy POS which will inevitably cause you to drop your device / be the first point of hardware failure, I would've kept that phone. Amazing keyboard and everything on it worked. Otherwise, the myTouch 4G has the edge in construction, but you will have to hack around to get things your way.
Hope that helps you a little bit.

ADW or Launcher Pro.
Don't forget to change the [Q] to [SOLVED] in the thread title after you try them out.

Related

To the owners of an N1 and MT3G Slide

i'm in the market to upgrade my phone and i'm torn between the two. if you had to pick between the 2, which would you chose?
it really depends on what features you want. hardware keyboard or not? do you care about the phone specs? um stuff like that. i personally like having a physical keyboard so i say the mytouch slide. read some reviews and try to get some hands on the products. they can both do the same things, since its all android, up to you what extra features and such you want.
I have been weighing this same question. Frankly, I have a laptop, a netbook, and a desktop that all have 2ghz+ processors. If i need a 1ghz or better processor, i'll probably need to boot one one them up to do the task. Higher specs such as the 1ghz processor etc = less batt life. As I have read here people are seeing 5+ more hours of Standby/Talk time out of the MT3g Slide then the nexus. Battery life is everything to me. I want a phone that will last 10+ hours on light to medium usage. I want a phone that isn't sold on bells and whistles, but on what a phone actually needs. Battery life, Stability, durability, etc..
TL;DR - MT3g Slide looks more value dollar for dollar then the Nexus. If you have 528 to spend on a phone that kinda wants to be a tablet PC or a netbook. Just buy one of those and call it good.
3 words
keyboard, fastest gpu
2.2
Wait until Froyo comes out for the slide then ask that question from what I hear its coming pretty soon and for all mytouches not just slide.
Im glad other people agree with me about this being better than the n1, also it should be taken into account that if this phone is anything like the other htc android phones its underclocked the original clock speed of the n1 is only 768 mhz so rooting should do alot for this phone
I personally like the slide a LITTLE bit better just for personal preferences. I used the N1 and loved it! It saved me from my WM past and I have not looked back. I finally got used to not having a keyboard once I installed swype on my N1 (without it is very frustrating for me). But it still sucked to type a long email or something. I now use the MTslide and I like and use regularly some of the added features:
Physical Keyboard (although I use touchscreen a lot since swype works so well)
My Modes (is awesome for me, not for everyone)
Genius Button (about 1/2 of my texts are voice so it makes this very simple)
I have not noticed any difference in performance. when I kill my apps I still have 225MB available or so with several apps installed. the N1 with froyo had a little more but there has been no difference in performance.
With Froyo coming soon and possible root soon I would go with the MTslide over the N1 at this time.
Nexus One, hands down. Granted I have not run a full diagnostic with numbers and stats and whatever, but I have used both for an entire week day under very similar conditions and here is what I found...
Software
Nexus One: I am a developer and love to mess with my phone. So far, this isn't possible with the MyTouch Slide and the second it is, I will remove the ridiculous ROM they have on it because its pure crap! Hello confetti theme. Something are T-Mobile Sense blue, others HTC Sense green and the rest is covered by your "theme". Its all over the place.
Hardware
Tied: Hardware keyboard is nice, touchpad and camera button are nice on the Slide but overall build quality feels cheap, though I will say the slide out mechanism feels like it will last years. For the Nexus I really like bigger screen/higher resolution, soft buttons and slim profile. For storage, Slide at 8gb
Performance
Tied: Even though specs show the two to be very different, both feel snappy but you can feel the Nexus' speed in games and multimedia applications. Reception is same, call quality goes to Slide and battery life goes to Nexus. Nexus wins camera for responsiveness and ease of switching between still and video
Overall feel
Nexus One: I have grown accustom to its slight tacky grip where as the slide feels like a wet bar of soap at times. Haven't dropped either yet, but I imagine the slide is the first to go down.
I went for the white Slide since it looked slick in the pictures/videos online, but in person it looks cheap.
And in closing I just have to say I like a stock Android build. If the Slide ever get its, it would probably tie it up. For the price at $479 vs. the nexus at $529(?) I'd go Nexus
I just noticed khtims' sig
Nexus One (I love android now)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly how I feel about it. The Slide would no make me say this.
sototallycarl said:
I just noticed khtims' sig
Thats exactly how I feel about it. The Slide would no make me say this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With Android being so much better than WM I think any android device would have turned my head. I am very impressed though with both the N1 and the MTslide. It is a hard choice for me.
I came from having 2 hd2's (I thought the bug with mms sending and crashing was just the phone I had, nope - sense) and I prior to that I had my g1. Having said that, I would hands down choose my slow, tiny g1 over the hd2. It felt great albeit super thin (I like thin but it felt almost too much so) The OS itself had so many bugs I can't even compare it to the android's os on my g1 and I think I only had cupcake on it. Having a keyboard will be a plus and I think the processor is at a 600 mhz speed which is marginally better than the g1 but still on an android device ='s win.

Anyone coming from a Nexus one?

Im selling my n1 for this and just wanna here some feedback on people that have had the nexus one and why the vibrant is the better choice for them....
Whats better you noticed?
What do you miss?
Any similarities?
I want this phone badddd, trying to sell n1, but craigslist here has over 500 phones posted a day, hard when theres that much stuff for sale... Soon ill sale this for 200.. I mean common I need that phone.... lol... I feel like a idiot but thats all I want at this moment is the vibrant....
Thanks have a good day. Please no Stupid thread comments or etc.... Im getting tired of that. If its a double thread, ignore and let the mods delete, Im sorry if this is duplicate as well. Im tired been up all night. Peace, enjoy your new phone guys and gals, im jealous as hell and hope they dont sale out soon.
i dont think i would sell my n1 for it.
deviusdragger said:
i dont think i would sell my n1 for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You havea vibrant?
I just got a Samsung a hour ago.. I have a Nexus One now with 2.2 on it.
After 1 hour.. My review..
The usb charging port for the Samsung is on the top of the phone.. Stupid because when you use it in the car the cable needs to reach the top and loop around..
It has 16GB internal and comes with a 2GB microSD card..
It does not seem any faster than the Nexus One, and the Nexus one has the roller ball which I actually use and the Samsung has no hardware buttons on the front..
Camera seems the same, pictures look close to me..
I am suprised how much better the bigger screen looks, I did not think it would be noticable but everything just looks better bigger!!!..
ONE REALLY big thing though... The antenna on the Samsung works better somehow. The Nexus One has never been 3G at my office and the Samsung has full bars on 3G. The Nexus One is showing 3 bars on Edge.. ( I flashed a few days ago to the 2.2 radio, same signal before flash)
So, after 1 hour the I am not sure which is better.. My N1 is pretty beat up and 7 months old (got it jan 5th) but I need 2.2 on the Samsung to actually like using it..
ALSO, the charging port on the top is retarded!!!
duglas said:
I just got a Samsung a hour ago.. I have a Nexus One now with 2.2 on it.
After 1 hour.. My review..
The usb charging port for the Samsung is on the top of the phone.. Stupid because when you use it in the car the cable needs to reach the top and loop around..
It has 16GB internal and comes with a 2GB microSD card..
It does not seem any faster than the Nexus One, and the Nexus one has the roller ball which I actually use and the Samsung has no hardware buttons on the front..
Camera seems the same, pictures look close to me..
I am suprised how much better the bigger screen looks, I did not think it would be noticable but everything just looks better bigger!!!..
ONE REALLY big thing though... The antenna on the Samsung works better somehow. The Nexus One has never been 3G at my office and the Samsung has full bars on 3G. The Nexus One is showing 3 bars on Edge.. ( I flashed a few days ago to the 2.2 radio, same signal before flash)
So, after 1 hour the I am not sure which is better.. My N1 is pretty beat up and 7 months old (got it jan 5th) but I need 2.2 on the Samsung to actually like using it..
ALSO, the charging port on the top is retarded!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet. Thanks for that. Yea power on top sounds weird... awesome reception sounds like...
Also do you know where the antenna is on the vibrant.. top or bottom? Thanks...
I believe if i were to get this phone i would have better 3G because of the N1 antenna woes. But i dont think getting this phone is worth the jump but i will convince my brother to ditch is BB for this
Me! I love it! It feels smaller, screen is way better, it is super snappy, and touchcwiz is actually way better than I thought it would be. 3d gallery is now like butter, love it! Market wont download anything yet though, fails everytime. Sucks, but other than that... also, I am itching to uninstall bloat on it, grr
afive720 said:
Me! I love it! It feels smaller, screen is way better, it is super snappy, and touchcwiz is actually way better than I thought it would be. 3d gallery is now like butter, love it! Market wont download anything yet though, fails everytime. Sucks, but other than that... also, I am itching to uninstall bloat on it, grr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting my market is working 100%
duglas said:
The usb charging port for the Samsung is on the top of the phone.. Stupid because when you use it in the car the cable needs to reach the top and loop around..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may not be a bad thing for everyone though. Would actually work well for me since it stays in my cupholder and I just use BT. Granted, with my G1, it's upside down but CM's orientation hack makes the screen right-side up (not sure if the Vibrant has that incorporated).
Otherwise, yes, the port on top is somewhat odd.
someone will come out with a 90 degree angled usb connection end - if there's not one out there already
duglas said:
ONE REALLY big thing though... The antenna on the Samsung works better somehow. The Nexus One has never been 3G at my office and the Samsung has full bars on 3G. The Nexus One is showing 3 bars on Edge.. ( I flashed a few days ago to the 2.2 radio, same signal before flash)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
temperbad said:
awesome reception sounds like...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very ironic considering the earlier thread.
Thanks for the feedback, duglas. Glad to hear that the reception is good.
gsvnet said:
This is very ironic considering the earlier thread.
Thanks for the feedback, duglas. Glad to hear that the reception is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get off my nuts dude. What you mean Ironic? How so?
edit: nevermind. I can tell your a kid. Im grownup... Im not here to spit and spat. Ive been warned already and so have you. But yet your here trying to start some ****... PEACE AND GROW UP
duglas said:
I just got a Samsung a hour ago.. I have a Nexus One now with 2.2 on it.
After 1 hour.. My review..
The usb charging port for the Samsung is on the top of the phone.. Stupid because when you use it in the car the cable needs to reach the top and loop around..
It has 16GB internal and comes with a 2GB microSD card..
It does not seem any faster than the Nexus One, and the Nexus one has the roller ball which I actually use and the Samsung has no hardware buttons on the front..
Camera seems the same, pictures look close to me..
I am suprised how much better the bigger screen looks, I did not think it would be noticable but everything just looks better bigger!!!..
ONE REALLY big thing though... The antenna on the Samsung works better somehow. The Nexus One has never been 3G at my office and the Samsung has full bars on 3G. The Nexus One is showing 3 bars on Edge.. ( I flashed a few days ago to the 2.2 radio, same signal before flash)
So, after 1 hour the I am not sure which is better.. My N1 is pretty beat up and 7 months old (got it jan 5th) but I need 2.2 on the Samsung to actually like using it..
ALSO, the charging port on the top is retarded!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been playing around with mine for about 3 hours now and i have to agreee with every thing you said and it is pretty much dead on. My reception to is better on the vibrant than the N1 don't know why it just is. I will hold onto my N1 before selling it and play with the SV more to get a "feel" for it
I wish they would have given you a better way to take a picture or activate the shutter, and I wish there was a better way to "wake" the phone up instead of the side button or a double click of the side button.
Also I wanted to comment on the build of the phone I don't think the weight of this phone gives it a "cheap" feel to it I prefer how light it is compared to my N1 and it feels good in my hand.
Just my .02
gthmcty1 said:
I have been playing around with mine for about 3 hours now and i have to agreee with every thing you said and it is pretty much dead on. My reception to is better on the vibrant than the N1 don't know why it just is. I will hold onto my N1 before selling it and play with the SV more to get a "feel" for it
I wish they would have given you a better way to take a picture or activate the shutter, and I wish there was a better way to "wake" the phone up instead of the side button or a double click of the side button.
Also I wanted to comment on the build of the phone I don't think the weight of this phone gives it a "cheap" feel to it I prefer how light it is compared to my N1 and it feels good in my hand.
Just my .02
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, it felt very sturdy at the store. Im going to pick mine up in about 2 hours, thanks for your feedback as well.... Makes my decision easier...
sweet I'm thinking about picking one up as well
Just pick my up at the local store and is simply AWESOME, Download a bunch of apps but still can get it to sync or mount..
the wify kept my nexus and my HD2 went craigslist..
temperbad said:
Im selling my n1 for this and just wanna here some feedback on people that have had the nexus one and why the vibrant is the better choice for them....
Whats better you noticed?
What do you miss?
Any similarities?
I want this phone badddd, trying to sell n1, but craigslist here has over 500 phones posted a day, hard when theres that much stuff for sale... Soon ill sale this for 200.. I mean common I need that phone.... lol... I feel like a idiot but thats all I want at this moment is the vibrant....
Thanks have a good day. Please no Stupid thread comments or etc.... Im getting tired of that. If its a double thread, ignore and let the mods delete, Im sorry if this is duplicate as well. Im tired been up all night. Peace, enjoy your new phone guys and gals, im jealous as hell and hope they dont sale out soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had my N1 since Jan 5th as well and have LOVED it. Rooted immediately, ran Modaco's Desire Sense port for a while before moving back to CM. Got my Vibrant Monday (yes, really). Rooted Tuesday. Ran Modaco's script to rearrange the internal memory / apps configuration and made the Vibrant go from fast to BLAZING. TouchWiz not bad, but not overly impressed with Samsung's widgets. Some are good, some are a little finicky. Sense nailed widgets much better but Samsung's are decent and better than nothing.
Comparatively, N1 was snappier out of the box as no UI overlay. However with some modding this phone will be on par or perhaps outperform N1 (I say that sensitively as N1 has an extremely special place in my heart . Samsung's Hummingbird processor is phenomenal and outperforms N1 on side-by-side 3d rendering test (YouTube Nexus 1 Galaxy S Quake to see). Vibrant's SuperAmoled Screen is what makes this phone truly special-- it's nothing short of incredible and makes N1's screen seem small and dim in comparison. ESPECIALLY in sunlight- N1 was basically unusable, this thing is nearly un-impacted. Watch the preloaded Avatar on it-- it's just gorgeous. The size and weight are beautiful, the super-light weight does make it almost feel a hair toy-ish but as soon as you touch the silky-smooth screen that feeling disappears. I really was looking for a step up in screen size from N1 and this delivers without the almost-too-big feeling of Evo or HD2.
Cons- miss the trackball for precise in-text navigation and notification alerts. But there's already talk of a mod to flash the capacitive buttons on the bottom for notifications- this will help, especially as there's no LED or anything else to visually alert for notifications. . As previously mentioned, side-mounted lock / unlock button is kind of annoying and will take some getting used to. You can only partially customize TouchWiz's bottom static shortcut dock. Of course, installing ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro will solve that and completely hide TouchWiz but you then lose ability to use Samsung's proprietary widgets, again some of which are actually nice. Also, TouchWiz's unlock on screen method is AWFUL- just a big rectangular movement of the entire screen. Boring and ugly. But you can eliminate lock screen all together with free Market app called No Lock (go figure lol).
All in all, a screen that is definitely a contender for top in the market; all-around outstanding hardware that will take a bit of getting used to from N1; stock software that has improved; modding will make this device a fire-breathing lightning monster (lol).
Love it and highly recommend!!!!!!!!
lp1527 said:
Had my N1 since Jan 5th as well and have LOVED it. Rooted immediately, ran Modaco's Desire Sense port for a while before moving back to CM. Got my Vibrant Monday (yes, really). Rooted Tuesday. Ran Modaco's script to rearrange the internal memory / apps configuration and made the Vibrant go from fast to BLAZING. TouchWiz not bad, but not overly impressed with Samsung's widgets. Some are good, some are a little finicky. Sense nailed widgets much better but Samsung's are decent and better than nothing.
Comparatively, N1 was snappier out of the box as no UI overlay. However with some modding this phone will be on par or perhaps outperform N1 (I say that sensitively as N1 has an extremely special place in my heart . Samsung's Hummingbird processor is phenomenal and outperforms N1 on side-by-side 3d rendering test (YouTube Nexus 1 Galaxy S Quake to see). Vibrant's SuperAmoled Screen is what makes this phone truly special-- it's nothing short of incredible and makes N1's screen seem small and dim in comparison. ESPECIALLY in sunlight- N1 was basically unusable, this thing is nearly un-impacted. Watch the preloaded Avatar on it-- it's just gorgeous. The size and weight are beautiful, the super-light weight does make it almost feel a hair toy-ish but as soon as you touch the silky-smooth screen that feeling disappears. I really was looking for a step up in screen size from N1 and this delivers without the almost-too-big feeling of Evo or HD2.
Cons- miss the trackball for precise in-text navigation and notification alerts. But there's already talk of a mod to flash the capacitive buttons on the bottom for notifications- this will help, especially as there's no LED or anything else to visually alert for notifications. . As previously mentioned, side-mounted lock / unlock button is kind of annoying and will take some getting used to. You can only partially customize TouchWiz's bottom static shortcut dock. Of course, installing ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro will solve that and completely hide TouchWiz but you then lose ability to use Samsung's proprietary widgets, again some of which are actually nice. Also, TouchWiz's unlock on screen method is AWFUL- just a big rectangular movement of the entire screen. Boring and ugly. But you can eliminate lock screen all together with free Market app called No Lock (go figure lol).
All in all, a screen that is definitely a contender for top in the market; all-around outstanding hardware that will take a bit of getting used to from N1; stock software that has improved; modding will make this device a fire-breathing lightning monster (lol).
Love it and highly recommend!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you you please provide links to step by step rooting procedure before flashing modacos rom ?
Thank you in advance
Sorry to revive an old thread, but I just traded in my Nexus One yesterday and figured I'd revive this instead of starting a new thread. Had it for a full day, and here's what I think about it so far. (I will try to revive this at a month in, then six months in, then a year in if I keep it that long.)
+ It's much lighter, but very plasticky. I loved the aluminum and heft of the N1, but all of the plastic is made up in spades by it's sleek, smooth design. It's a beautiful device.
+ 3G on the Vibrant is much more consistent than it ever was with the N1.
- I really miss my LED notifications. NoLED is alright, but not as dependable. (It doesn't work with Go SMS popups.)
+ The screen is AWESOME. It's much brighter and more color-accurate, though not by a terrible amount. I absolutely love the size of it.
+ 16GB...internal storage!!! I can not only fit all of my music without a SD card, but can fit my ENTIRE LIBRARY with ANOTHER 16GB card! AMAZING!
+ It's a really fast phone.
+ It's a really fast phone.
+ With Nero 4.1/Voodoo, it's a really fast phone.
+ Multitouch actually works well, since I can use Swype like a normal keyboard and rotate on Google Maps (which is FRIGGIN SWEET)
- No flash is a bit of a letdown.
+ Camera makes up for it; it's quite good. Haven't tried recording with it yet, though.
- GPS is a BIG letdown, though triangulation is getting me by.
+ I thought I would hate Touchwiz, and I found out I (sort of) do. I hate the launcher, but it's apps are REALLY good. For example,
+ The music app is solid, and has an equalizer!
+ Alarm app is full-featured (has a timer, stopwatch, etc.)
+ Daily briefing could be useful
+ Desk mode is nice
+ Galaxy Tab email is really nice, though it doesn't provide any better features over the stock email app.
The one disadvantage...
- Wow, there is Engrish EVERYWHERE
- Proprietary drivers suck, but that's tolerable
- Not as straightforward to unlock at the firmware level, but that's tolerable too.
- Will be last to get official updates, but most of us run rooted/modified stuff, so that point is moot. A Gingerbread port is in the works and there are plenty of great Froyo ROMs for the device right now. (Nero 4.1 is froyo-based, and there is an unofficial, "stock" Froyo-based ROM floating around that I put on my Dad's Vibrant. He loves it, no issues so far.)
Final word (at this point): Highly recommend. I absolutely loved my Nexus One, as it was easily the best phone I've ever owned. However, this and the Nexus S (for the Google support the Nexus One enjoys) are clearly superior devices.

[Q] Pros and Cons of N1 to G2: A worthwhile upgrade?

I know the two devices' internals are extremely similar, but I'm strongly considering getting the G2 anyway. I'm just having a hard time fully commiting to justifying the purchase even though I really, really want it, haha.
What do you think? Are the pros and cons for this upgrade a worthwhile endeavor?
Here's what I'm thinking so far:
Pros:
The Adreno 205 GPU, supposedly 4 to 5 times more powerful than the N1's: http://gizmodo.com/5633855/g2s-benchmarks-show-that-despite-processor-speed-it-should-be-fast
Flash Hardware Acceleration, which apparently the N1 cannot do (wtf? really?) (see "Adreno 205 features": http://smartphonebenchmarks.com/for...t-compare-to-other-gpus/page__pid__65#entry65 )
Lower clock speed CPU (800 MHz) vs the N1's 1 GHz, yet the same performance (or better). This, along with the last point = possibly better battery life?
Better multitouch panel (no axes flipping). Would be good for those multitouch games, which I've mostly avoided with the N1
No screen miscalibration issues (having to turn screen off to fix)
Optical trackpad rather than trackball = longer life / won't get dirty / break.
[Edit 9/29]:
HSDPA+!!! For faster 3G, or "4G" even!
Much more internal space for apps etc (4GB on the G2 vs 512MB on the N1)
(Hopefully) the soft button weirdness is fixed (ie the pressure points on the N1's soft buttons aren't directly on the button labels)
Wifi Calling Possibly? http://phandroid.com/2010/09/27/t-mobile-g2-to-feature-wi-fi-calling-but-no-tethering/
Cons:
Slower Google Updates since the N1 will still be the developer phone and the T-Mobile G2 won't be
The G2 will be a bulkier and heavier device
Optical trackpad = no trackball notifications [Edit 9/30]: --> www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCUrxJg_TwQ !!!!!!!
Cost / inconvenience of switching devices (my contract ends in March 2011 so I'd buy off-contact and re-sell my N1 to cover the cost)
Small screen; I'd really like a 4" screen, preferably a Super AMOLED. Sticking with 3.7" is a downer. And there's always some better device on the nearby horizon. However, one with Stock Android is going to be rare, is it not?
[Edit 9/30]:
No FM Radio, HDMI-Out, or Front-Facing Camera (not that the N1 has these, but surely other phones coming out a month or two after the G2 might)
And then there's the keyboard, which at this point I consider neither a positive nor a negative. I've grown accustomed to an on-screen keyboard (Swype) on my N1, and I'm not really that heavy of a texter anyway. So it could be amazing to have a physical keyboard again (I had the G1 previously), or I might ignore it and hate the added weight/bulk.
What do you think? Is this a worthwhile upgrade? Any other pros or cons that I'm missing?
i want one, but to justify it like u said is hard. The N1 is still IMO one of the top phones out even after all these other phones. I will keep mine for some time. Since I never upgraded with my N1 I will buy my wife the G2 since shes coming from the Cliq. They just got 2.1. She will enjoy the bigger screen, flash for the cam, and flash/ 2.2 and she has to have a keyboard.
Will there be a N2 or a phone the google will call there N1 in the future? Thats what I wait for. There is no way Im selling my N1 either
N1 to Vibrant or G2 or what?
I had the misfortune of having my N1 "go away" (don't ask) and I ended up going for a Vibrant as the "next best thing" -- but have since been feeling left out of the Android game (I'm an Android developer, as well) and have been looking at the G2 with some interest.
I've pretty much decided to wait. The N1 is still the phone of choise for developers, ROM cookers, and modders. Part of it is because it's great hardware, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's the closest thing to the Android code base. It will always get the first updates, it will always get a more stable platform, and it's pretty much the phone that Android itself is coded for/on. Every google employee has one (or at least had one at one point), including the google devs. And I think it will be that way until google either launches another phone, or has an intimate connection to a specific phone (maybe even on a specific carrier.) That's the phone I'm waiting for. And hopefully my Vibrant will catch up a bit with the custom ROMs and I can go back to "pure" stock Android. Not into my Android looking so much like iOS.
The N1 and the G2 are great phones, and I think they'll be at the top of the pile for a while longer, but they won't be forever. And I'm just waiting to see where the next next generation phone shows up.
Just sharing my thoughts, not really looking for debate on my points.
My biggie would have to be INTERNAL SPACE. This is a major flaw in the nexus. I can't even install sense like roms along with my necessary apps because of this.
fnirt said:
I had the misfortune of having my N1 "go away" (don't ask) and I ended up going for a Vibrant as the "next best thing" -- but have since been feeling left out of the Android game (I'm an Android developer, as well) and have been looking at the G2 with some interest.
I've pretty much decided to wait. The N1 is still the phone of choise for developers, ROM cookers, and modders. Part of it is because it's great hardware, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's the closest thing to the Android code base. It will always get the first updates, it will always get a more stable platform, and it's pretty much the phone that Android itself is coded for/on. Every google employee has one (or at least had one at one point), including the google devs. And I think it will be that way until google either launches another phone, or has an intimate connection to a specific phone (maybe even on a specific carrier.) That's the phone I'm waiting for. And hopefully my Vibrant will catch up a bit with the custom ROMs and I can go back to "pure" stock Android. Not into my Android looking so much like iOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're a developer, wouldn't it make more sense to stick with N1 instead of the Galaxy? Even with Gingerbread/3.0 coming out soon (read: Nov/Dec) the N1 is still pure Android supposedly be able to run 3.0 as well.
gkaugustine said:
My biggie would have to be INTERNAL SPACE. This is a major flaw in the nexus. I can't even install sense like roms along with my necessary apps because of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How many necessary apps do you require? I was able to install the Sense ROM from these forums without issues.
One in particular is a space hog for corporate email "Good for Enterprise" takes up well over 35mb on a slow day and it contains widgets so i cant move it to SD.
Did you go through all HTC apps and move them to SD card?
Either way to most internal space i have even now on cm6 is 30mb, internal space on the nexus is horrible.
@fnirt: Yeah you're right; I forgot to mention that the N1 will probably have more support from XDA etc than the G2. Although... Cyanogen, THE man himself, is actually purchasing a G2... So who knows, maybe the G2 will gain just as much support from the community as the N1?
@gkaugustine: Ah yes, I didn't even consider internal space. The N1 has 512 MB of space for apps while the G2 has 4 GB? Wow, good jump. Although I can't say I have trouble with this since I use the Apps2SD feature of CyanogenMod6 to move all my large apps.
Oh yeah! HSDPA+!!
Well, I didn't even think about this until you mentioned it...no trackball alerts?
There better be some blinking (and I mean every 2 seconds, not the idiotic one every 15 seconds we had at the launch of the nexus) led notification.
Otherwise it's a dealbreaker for me.
But if they're right about flash being hardware accelerated...I'm intrigued, for the first time. (I don't care about gaming because the only time I find myself having TIME to game, I'm already home and my PS3 with Wipeout HD are right there).
Honeslty Paul I wouldn't upgrade until you know that there are no GPS issues like the galaxy phones and other issues which may not be apparent until later.
IMO, the Nexus One is still the most complete package of a phone.
Yep, no trackball alerts. Though I think the trackball as we know it will soon be phased out of all phones forever (in favor of trackpads), so you can pretty much kiss that feature goodbye. In addition to trackballs getting dirty and eventually trackball failure, it's probably cheaper in the long run for the manufacturer due to less support and fewer phone replacements.
Honeslty Paul I wouldn't upgrade until you know that there are no GPS issues like the galaxy phones and other issues which may not be apparent until later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm definitely not going to pre-order the G2. I want to at least play with it in store (unlike I did with the N1, though that was a HUGE jump from the G1, so it didn't matter as much).
Also, because my upgrade date is 6 months away, I actually can't pre-order haha.
Paul22000 said:
Yep, no trackball alerts. Though I think the trackball as we know it will soon be phased out of all phones forever (in favor of trackpads), so you can pretty much kiss that feature goodbye. In addition to trackballs getting dirty and eventually trackball failure, it's probably cheaper in the long run for the manufacturer due to less support and fewer phone replacements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realize that, and I am already starting to worry about my Nexus's trackball becoming dirty/sticky and I have no idea how I'm gonna replace it. I'm all for trackpads, but having no dedicated LED light like on the iPhone or the Galaxy S phones is totally a dealbreaker for me. I don't want to have to grab my phone to know I have a message. Do you know if the G2 will have one?
But I like the idea, IF true, that it will hardware accelerate Flash, because more and more sites are starting to have higher quality videos which get choppy on the Nexus, and that's unfortunate, since one of my regular bashing points on the iPhone is the lack of flash.
Does anyone have the internal spec sheet on the G2? im interested to know where the radio antenna is installed.
I love my trackball... especially when I had my sidekick 3 and it had trackball notifications. Awesome and convinient.
I would hold off... I have a full upgrade with tmobile and I'm holding off for a bigger screen, front facing camera, and other gingerbread goodies to come next year.
ksc6000 said:
I realize that, and I am already starting to worry about my Nexus's trackball becoming dirty/sticky and I have no idea how I'm gonna replace it. I'm all for trackpads, but having no dedicated LED light like on the iPhone or the Galaxy S phones is totally a dealbreaker for me. I don't want to have to grab my phone to know I have a message. Do you know if the G2 will have one?
But I like the idea, IF true, that it will hardware accelerate Flash, because more and more sites are starting to have higher quality videos which get choppy on the Nexus, and that's unfortunate, since one of my regular bashing points on the iPhone is the lack of flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure that at the very least it has a charging light, that can be hacked. I've also heard for other phones of people looking into hacking one of the 4 soft buttons, so that the backlight on one of them acts in a similar manner to our trackball notification.
leyvatron said:
I love my trackball... especially when I had my sidekick 3 and it had trackball notifications. Awesome and convinient.
I would hold off... I have a full upgrade with tmobile and I'm holding off for a bigger screen, front facing camera, and other gingerbread goodies to come next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes, I forgot about the front-facing camera feature. Buying a new phone without it makes me pause... Though to be honest I would never, ever use it, but it's just a point so that iphoners can't brag about it to me.
Trackball alerts are great, but a poor alternative may be the Blinker app. It uses the charging LED for notifications, so you only have a few options (orange, green, blue), but with rate combinations...
I'm thinking about a new phone for my wife, and there's not many Androids with keyboards.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Just a heads up. There is a led notification at the top right of the phone that Does appear to blink. Also, a lot of people are saying the ring around the trackpad lights up. So we'll see.
I just sold my N1 for $400 and pre-ordered the G2.
What sealed the deal for me:
4GB internal memory
720p recording - I know the N1 has it hacked, but it was always slow for me.
Dedicated GPU
Flash Acceleration
No multi-touch/screen positioning issues - This was a big one for me
HSPA+
Keyboard - I text a lot :\
What I'll miss:
Fast updates
Crazy dev support
Beautiful styling
Noise-canceling
AMOLED display - G2 uses STFT.
Paul22000 said:
I'm just having a hard time fully commiting to justifying the purchase even though I really, really want it, haha.
What do you think? Are the pros and cons for this upgrade a worthwhile endeavor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hope we don't lose you Paul since your one of my favorite guys here on Xda. I've thought about getting the G2 before as well but it just isn't a big enough upgrade for me to justify it.
I would def wait for something better. You just KNOW something will come in the next 2 months.
Paul22000 said:
Yep, no trackball alerts. Though I think the trackball as we know it will soon be phased out of all phones forever (in favor of trackpads), so you can pretty much kiss that feature goodbye. In addition to trackballs getting dirty and eventually trackball failure, it's probably cheaper in the long run for the manufacturer due to less support and fewer phone replacements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They could, and should think about doing a light halo around the trackpad like around the button on the touch pro... (obviously it should be a RGB one, not just plain white leds)
Even better let it have segments (like an xbox...)
HTC... gimme a job!
Oh yeah, I also forgot the soft button weirdness on the N1. I've always found that it works better to tap above the white labels than directly on them. Hopefully the G2 has this fixed.
Trackball alerts are great, but a poor alternative may be the Blinker app. It uses the charging LED for notifications, so you only have a few options (orange, green, blue), but with rate combinations...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you get the Blinker app?
http://www.appbrain.com/search?q=blinker -- No "Blinker" app exists?
I just sold my N1 for $400 and pre-ordered the G2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a random question: what are you using in the meantime? I'd be without an Android phone.
What I'll miss:
Beautiful styling
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, take a look at the G2's back and wow-wow-wow. That brushed aluminum is downright beautiful. Picture here: http://www.engadget.com/photos/t-mobile-g2-preview-hands-on/#3410970
ap3604 said:
I really hope we don't lose you Paul since your one of my favorite guys here on Xda. I've thought about getting the G2 before as well but it just isn't a big enough upgrade for me to justify it.
I would def wait for something better. You just KNOW something will come in the next 2 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, thanks
There definitely will be better devices around the corner, which is what kills me. However, how many of them will have Stock Android *and* get the massive community support that the G2 will get (especially since Cyanogen is literally purchasing one himself)?
Blinker:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=744138
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Samsung Vibrant VS the HTC G2

Wow no lag on the G2. Its so nice to select a button and the screen respond instantly with no lag. GPS locks even in my basement, something which the vibrant couldn't do.
But, (yes there's a but) I'm not sure I like the keyboard and because the screen is smaller, its harder to type on the touchscreen so I'm gonna have to play with this for a few days.
I love the responsiveness of the G2. So much smoother than the vibrant. I do miss the screen and the super light form factor if the vibrant. Kind of miss the SAMOLED screen too.
Samsung please tell me when Froyo will be released to the vibrant?
I will give these to the G2:
-Keyboard is great especially for emulator
-Preloaded Froyo 2.2 means no wait, no uncertainty
-HTC is a great company and has been in the game longer, making high quality hardware.
-HSPA+
What I will miss on my Vibrant is I switch to a G2:
-Native avi, mkv and various other audio/video format support (my biggest selling point).
-AMOLE screen (you should see this coming after point one)
-The more powerful GPU for emulator
-Believe it or not TouchWiz (it really makes life easier in some aspect)
I think both phones caters to a different market, but G2 just seems "developer", it is a GREAT phone, don't get me wrong but it is just very plain in terms of look and specification. It does what every other android phone does but faster because of newer internals. (Vibrant at least brings in container/format support listed above).
A newer handset with newer CPU and GPU is not really considered as a feature because as time pass better hardware means better handset internals, it is inevitable.
The g2 has a chip which reinstalls stock firmware when it senses the firmware has been tampered with. BIG downfall IMO
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
T-Mobile G2 Auto-Reinstalls Stock Android After a Jailbreak
If you were hoping to make any modifications to your T-Mobile G2, my apologies. Because the phone apparently ships with a rootkit that will override any changes you make to Android and reinstall the original firmware. That ain't right.
According to the New America Foundation, "one of the microchips embedded into the G2 prevents device owners from making permanent changes that allow custom modifications to the the Android operating system." The full 40-page blow-by-blow of the Dev Forum's thwarted attempts can be found here.
Between this and Motorola's Droid X eFuse kill switch, there's an unsettling—and growing—arrogance. An attitude that says you may have just paid for your phone, but you don't own it. Because if you truly owned it, you'd be able to modify it however you pleased. It's like buying a car and being told you can't buy new Bridgestones a month later. Or more relevantly, as NAF points out: it's like installing Linux on a Windows computer one night, and waking up to find Vista back in place.
So that G2 you bought? It's not yours. It's HTC and T-Mobile's. You're just borrowing it, and the terms of the loan are entirely non-negotiable. [Dev Forum via New America via Boing Boing]
Send an email to Brian Barrett, the author of this post, at [email protected].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://gizmodo.com/5656921/t+mobiles-g2-rootkit-will-reinstall-stock-android-after-a-jailbreak
wah wah wah
lolcopter said:
http://gizmodo.com/5656921/t+mobiles-g2-rootkit-will-reinstall-stock-android-after-a-jailbreak
wah wah wah
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My exact thought! Did I NOT say that the G2 would fail!? ahahha people arent going to to like not being able to use custom ROM's etc
So that G2 you bought? It's not yours. It's HTC and T-Mobile's. You're just borrowing it, and the terms of the loan are entirely non-negotiable.
they'll eventually get root for the G2.
That said, with the correct file systems, the Vibrant would tear apart the G2. The Hummingbird is a superior architecture, the GPU is better, the screen is bigger and better, the form factor is thinner and lighter.
But if I thought HSPA+ was going to make a difference, or if I wanted a keyboard, the G2 would win me over. It's a nice feeling phone, and stock Android is always a plus.
Anyone know if the Desire Z is locked down also?
reuthermonkey said:
they'll eventually get root for the G2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pretty much this especially since is an HTC phone
The feature that I miss the most from my vibrant is the out of the box ability to play my flac files.
But I think my choice to switch will be a worth wild one.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
MMcCraryNJ said:
The g2 has a chip which reinstalls stock firmware when it senses the firmware has been tampered with. BIG downfall IMO
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Agree 100%, Vibrant is the best T mobile Android, Samsung outdid everyone on this phone!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Perhaps you all could help me out with something. I got a G2, and was seriously considering selling my Vibrant. But, in order to give the decision its due diligence, I'd like to see what the Vibrant is like on a custom rom. I have it rooted, with RyanZa's lagifix from the market installed, and was wondering which of the current roms would be best to try out, in order to best evaluate the "pick me" quality of the Vibrant? I'd prefer not to have to wipe everything, if possible. But I'm amenable to, if need be. Thanks, in advance, for your input. I'd certainly appreciate it.
Kienz said:
Perhaps you all could help me out with something. I got a G2, and was seriously considering selling my Vibrant. But, in order to give the decision its due diligence, I'd like to see what the Vibrant is like on a custom rom. I have it rooted, with RyanZa's lagifix from the market installed, and was wondering which of the current roms would be best to try out, in order to best evaluate the "pick me" quality of the Vibrant? I'd prefer not to have to wipe everything, if possible. But I'm amenable to, if need be. Thanks, in advance, for your input. I'd certainly appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, you are going to have to wipe in order to use the best roms
Which would you suggest, based on your experience with them?
Kienz said:
Which would you suggest, based on your experience with them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Eugene's Frankin-Twiz Rom. The thing flies with JAC's OC/UV Kernal.
Kienz said:
Which would you suggest, based on your experience with them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried Franken T-Wiz, and Bionix. I can definitely suggest Bionix. Very quick. Very stable. MUCH better than stock.
With JI6 much of everything is responsive
I appreciate the input. Just to make sure I'm good to go...
I have the RyanZa lagfix installed. Do I/Should I use th e"undo lagfix" option before attempting to flash this rom?
I see that ity wipes automatically. Does that mean it wipes my internal memory card, i.e. any nandroid I backup would be deleted as well? Or is it just like a factory reset, whereby I would just need to restore my contacts, apps, etc.
Again, thank you for your input. It's very helpful.
Ok i just got my G2 but i have played with it all night. Here is my review....
G2 -- Pros
-Fast(Yes it seems a little zippier than the vibrant)
-Keyboard
-Camera quality is good with flash
-In call quality is great
-2.2
-HSPA+
G2 --Cons
-Hinges are a real problem even though plenty of people on the G2 forums say that it was designed that way. They are just fanboys. I have had a touch pro2 which tilt and it tilted fine for months. It wont slide out if you sit rightside up but laying down on you back which i tend to do alot at night is a no can do.
-Video recording is so choppy no match for the vibrant
-Camera quality without flash is like 3mp to me
-Internal space not 4GB
-sdcard not hot swappable
-Battery life sucks(i hear its a random issue)
-Terrible! I mean Horrible! Torpid speaker on this phone!
Vibrant --Pros
-5mp camera with great quality
-video quality is superb
-fast(atleast for me im on stock with no lag unlike some users)
-16gb internal
-Audio & Video codecs
-4 inch screen SAMOLED
-Light
-A free hd quality movie
-Great speaker quality
-Touchwiz(Some may disagree but it makes life easier in alot of instances ie: music controls on locksreen, call end, speaker buttons in notification bar, wifi toggle in bar,facebook & twitter integration, daily brief)
Vibrant --Cons
-Phone quality sometime bad
-gps
-No 2.2
Now some may disagree but this is how i compare the two. When the vibrant gets 2.2 i have to say it will be much better and will kill the g2 in benchmarks. For now i think ill give the g2 back to tmobile and keep my vibrant cause a keyboard & HSPA+(isnt everywhere so its barely useless) arent enough to make me switch.
creglenn said:
Ok i just got my G2 but i have played with it all night. Here is my review....
G2 -- Pros
-Fast(Yes it seems a little zippier than the vibrant)
-Keyboard
-Camera quality is good with flash
-In call quality is great
-2.2
-HSPA+
G2 --Cons
-Hinges are a real problem even though plenty of people on the G2 forums say that it was designed that way. They are just fanboys. I have had a touch pro2 which tilt and it tilted fine for months. It wont slide out if you sit rightside up but laying down on you back which i tend to do alot at night is a no can do.
-Video recording is so choppy no match for the vibrant
-Camera quality without flash is like 3mp to me
-Internal space not 4GB
-sdcard not hot swappable
-Battery life sucks(i hear its a random issue)
-Terrible! I mean Horrible! Torpid speaker on this phone!
Vibrant --Pros
-5mp camera with great quality
-video quality is superb
-fast(atleast for me im on stock with no lag unlike some users)
-16gb internal
-Audio & Video codecs
-4 inch screen SAMOLED
-Light
-A free hd quality movie
-Great speaker quality
-Touchwiz(Some may disagree but it makes life easier in alot of instances ie: music controls on locksreen, call end, speaker buttons in notification bar, wifi toggle in bar,facebook & twitter integration, daily brief)
Vibrant --Cons
-Phone quality sometime bad
-gps
-No 2.2
Now some may disagree but this is how i compare the two. When the vibrant gets 2.2 i have to say it will be much better and will kill the g2 in benchmarks. For now i think ill give the g2 back to tmobile and keep my vibrant cause a keyboard & HSPA+(isnt everywhere so its barely useless) arent enough to make me switch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was really helpful. I was on the fence about paying for a G2 coming from a Vibrant, but you may have helped my decision. The lack of hard keyboard is my only issue with the Vibrant. I just about loathe typing on it. I need a button press.
However, all the pros about the vibrant are the real reason i bought thia phone. I dont care about benchmarks, its not like these devices are gaming pc's. Its a rediculous thing to measure in a phone.
Ill keep my Vibrant for now, $499 for a G2 just to get a keyboard simply isnt worth it.
NoDataFound said:
This was really helpful. I was on the fence about paying for a G2 coming from a Vibrant, but you may have helped my decision. The lack of hard keyboard is my only issue with the Vibrant. I just about loathe typing on it. I need a button press.
However, all the pros about the vibrant are the real reason i bought thia phone. I dont care about benchmarks, its not like these devices are gaming pc's. Its a rediculous thing to measure in a phone.
Ill keep my Vibrant for now, $499 for a G2 just to get a keyboard simply isnt worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait for some deals on it and get it as a backup.... I may do this...
Yea benchmarks are only good to measure. It won't make a big difference in day to day use unless you have g1 vs a vibrant. Plus I only use the hardware keyboard when texting a lot. Other than that you will 90% use the screen
Sent from my SAMOLED Vibrant using XDA app

[Q] G2 or myTouch 4G?

Ok I am going to ask this question once, state all your opinions don't hold back and people please do not start a flame war. Be civilized and to each their own opinion, we are technically the same android family and also both use T-Mobile.
G2 or myTouch 4G?
Pros and Cons
Asking this in both forum sections... wish we could have the same thread in both sections.
{Edit- link to G2 forums thread same topic | http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=831505}
There are plenty of reviews/comparisons out on the web. It's really personal opinion.
Do you want a physical kb? That's one big difference been the 2. The myTouch is candybar style, thin & "sexy", while the G2 is bulky in comparison sure to the physical kb, and the hinge mechanism is strange and loose whether you'd hold it in a way to notice or not.
Also, if you put value on it - Quadrant score on mT4G was about 100 higher than G2
Do you really want stock Android, or would you be happy with Espresso or a replacement launcher?
Again, it's really personal choice. Both are top T-Mob offerings right now and people are very happy with both. Personally, I don't like physical kbs and the bulk they add, and think HTC made a poor choice with the G2 in using an odd hinge vs something similar to the mT3G Slide.
For sure, the 4G is a sweet phone, a beast under the hood, and feels both sleek and solid in your hand. Also got OTA to 2.2.1 within hours of walking out of store.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Its going to be a close discussion. I would prefer the phsyical keyboard and vanilla Android of the G2, but that wonky hinge makes me edgy.
I'm leaning towards the MT4G myself, the Sense/Espresso UI can likely be removed once full root is achieved.
I went off contract last month and have been using a G1 for the past 2 years. When I was looking at phones I came close to purchasing the G2 but the hinge seemed awkward, so decided to do some research on the G2.
Read a lot, not just a few complaints about the hinge, random boots, lose of data, and dropped connections for the phone. The complaints about the G2 really turned me off from buying it. The complaints about the My Touch 4G seem to be mostly personal preference about the UI, with the phone itself being reliable.
So the My Touch 4G it was. I won't receive it until Monday, so I can't comment on how much I will like or dislike it.
I also had a G1, until yesterday. So far I have to say I am thrilled with the My Touch.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
myTouch 4G hands down. I have both and I'm almost tempted to sell my G2 now.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
I would go with the mytouch as well. Here are my thoughts from another thread.
I'm gonna keep using both but the mytouch is the superior phone. For me, the overall function of the mytouch is the reason. There are some things that the vibrant does do better though - 1. The samoled on the vibrant is definitely better (I love the true blacks and contrast ratio on this thing) 2. The speakers are also noticeably better with richer and fuller sound 3. The GPU is also more capable 4. Audio quality for media is better (mytouch and HTC phones in general have too much bass and not enough detail) 5. The camera while lacking flash is more capable 5. The multitouch, responsiveness, and feel of the screen is better 6. And the last thing is the notification bar is the best I've seen on an Android phone (the ability to have those toggle settings, change brightness by swiping, and change music tracks are amazing). Everything else, the mytouch does better. 1) GPS is much better 2) Solid feel while the vibrant felt plastic and creaked 3)FFC 3. Camera flash 4. Froyo 5. Optical trackpad 6. Much better battery life 7. The user experience is buttery smooth with little or no lag on this thing 8. The notification led
Wow sorry for the essay guys, got a little carried away haha.
I bought the MT4G and LOVE the hardware, but Sense is pissing me off so much that I'm thinking of returning it for the G2.
Phateless said:
I bought the MT4G and LOVE the hardware, but Sense is pissing me off so much that I'm thinking of returning it for the G2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could install LP or ADW maybe?
Bateluer said:
You could install LP or ADW maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually not a bad idea, but I don't think it'll get rid of all of the Sense stuff...
Phateless said:
Actually not a bad idea, but I don't think it'll get rid of all of the Sense stuff...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm debating between the two phones myself, would like to see some screens of what the MT4G looks like with LP/ADW with a stock look.
Regardless, I'm not going to buy either until they have full root. In one of the G2 threads, some one's posted about how newer G2s have a modified hinge design with a spring.
Patience, Patience. :-/
Functionality wise the MT4G has it all. Gps inside my house was within 4 meters almost instantly. The htc widgets are just pure win aswell. I thought about the G2 but the hinge on the model phone at tmobile was so loose if you turned the phone on its side the keyboard would fall open by itself so it was an easy decision for me right there to go with the MT4G.
Doh! I just noticed that I talked about the vibrant vs the mytouch instead of the g2. This is really a hard choice as both phones are great and geared towards different crowds. G2 is for the pure android enthusiast that loves or needs the physical keyboard. Mytouch is more for the casual crowd. I would personally go with the mytouch for its slimmer profile, FFC, toucscreen seems to respond and feel a little better, stock 1ghz processor vs 800mhz, and 768mb ram vs 512mb. The g2 has a better look IMO, physical keyboard if you prefer, stock android for faster updates, and the screen seems to be a little more saturated.
There is a new 3 part review on youtube of the mytouch vs g2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X6aaOXvEno&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
I actually bought the G2, and 24 hrs later I returned it and got the MT4G. I have absolutely 0 buyer's remorse.
I loved the G2, but the problem was the hinge. After just one day, it would open just by breathing on it. I couldn't stand it. While there are some things I wish the MT4G had from the G2, overall, because of the hinge, the MT4G is the winner.
Elfabaa said:
I actually bought the G2, and 24 hrs later I returned it and got the MT4G. I have absolutely 0 buyer's remorse.
I loved the G2, but the problem was the hinge. After just one day, it would open just by breathing on it. I couldn't stand it. While there are some things I wish the MT4G had from the G2, overall, because of the hinge, the MT4G is the winner.
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Funny you say that because I picked up the MT4G on Saturday and am thinking about returning it for the G2 because I don't like Sense. Part of the reason I chose the MT4G was the hinge issue you mentioned. I would never use the keyboard anyway so it seemed silly to buy a phone that had one.
MT4G
Totally feel your pain cause I was in the same boat. Had the Nexus for almost a year until I replaced it with the G2.
I really like how the G2 lies in your hand when you're browsing the web in landscape mode with the keyboard out although I'm not a huge fan of the keyboard mainly because it doesn't have dedicated number keys and the size of it makes typing slower and more strenuous than on the G1 (which I had before the Nexus).
I was also a bit annoyed by the way the keyboard backlighting kept turning itself on and off in medium light conditions without having the option to have it always on when the keyboard is used.
The hinge is a big question mark with some disaster potential. I guess only time will tell. Having said that I didn't mind the looseness too much. I also really like the slick business look to the G2 although it is definitely bulky when compared to my nexus or the MT4G. Overall it's an awesome device though and I definitely grew font of it during the 3 weeks I owned it.
When the MT4G came out I decided to give it a try cause I still had 10 days in my remorse period. The genius button and mysense took some getting used to. Definitely prefer vanilla android. LauncherPro, visionary, and Titanium Backup helped me remove a lot of crap and get a bit more vanilla flare back although there are also certain things I like better about the sense UI (copy/paste, eMail app, facebook app,)
I like the camera app better on the MT4G. Simply takes better pictures. FFC isnt a big deal for me but certainly doesn't hurt.
I definitely miss the soft buttons on the MT4G. The plastic hard buttons feel a little cheap and I would prefer not having to actually click them. I guess its cause I've been so used to the Nexus. I also agree with parts of the Engadget review about the lag of aesthetics. Overall the MT4G feels a lot thinner and smaller though which was what won me over.
Verdict:
I still have 4 days left in my remorse period but decided to keep the MT4G. Both are good devices so it totally depends on what you want. In the end it was the thinness that won me over to the MT4G and the black looks actually quite slick. Good luck deciding and just remember, you really can't go wrong with either one.
I'm not a sense fan either, I use launcher pro plus. I got this setup like my nexus, fast too. And I use widget lock screen app
Phateless said:
Actually not a bad idea, but I don't think it'll get rid of all of the Sense stuff...
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Wanna define what you mean by "all the sense stuff"? Not saying it applies to you but sometimes I get the feeling people say they dislike sense because they have read so many times that stock is better without really knowing what the difference is.
c_licious said:
Wanna define what you mean by "all the sense stuff"? Not saying it applies to you but sometimes I get the feeling people say they dislike sense because they have read so many times that stock is better without really knowing what the difference is.
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I'm not a fan of any UI overlays. None really seem to add much to the Android OS that isn't already there, but they do slow OS updates to a crawl. Even with their faults, HTC pushes more updates to their Sense phones than other manufacturers.
I spoke with a VZW rep this afternoon, sent them an email inquiring about cancellations and what the penalties would be. They offered me an early upgrade, but when I told them I was more interested in a stock Android device, the rep told me that I should wait until after Thanksgiving because they may be better able to help me then.
I didn't exactly plan on buying a MT4G/G2 next week, but this does have me curious.

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