Database Users

Would you recommend it?

Hi,
I am currently using a Samsung F480 and I really have to say the difference in the touch screen experience is very much noticeable compared to my HTC Wizard (I'd probably call it Apple-esque - even though I never actually used their phone), however at the very same time I also have to admit that I am really missing the possibilities Windows Mobile offers.
So when I first read about the Touch HD it seemed it would unify all those. Well, meanwhile I found out that the touch screen technology basically remained the same so I'd really be interested to hear how you would actually rate it? Does one still have to press/push the screen or does a simply touch do it as well?
Apart from the touch screen topic I am also a bit uncertain after reading threads like this and in particular vangrieg's posting. How would you rate the overall performance?
Basically what I would be looking for would be a compact phone with a good display, easily extensible (Windows Mobile) and a nice touch screen experience (Apple) ....

i have it for a week now and i am very satisfied with it. Not one program crashed and no reboot so far. Internet browsing is fast and really usable. For the first time ever i really like to surf the net while commuting on the subway. GPS with TomTom7 is great - i locks in seconds even when in downtown surrounded by skyscrapers.
regarding the touchscreen, i find that i have to press really hard to get a reaction. at first i even was reluctant to press so hard because i thought i would break it with the stylus. but now i am glad that it does not react to simple touching because i usually carry it in the pocket of my trousers and touch the display when handling it and it should not react to simple touching in my view - and it does not.

Thanks kkrammer, so you havent noticed respectively cant confirm the lag mentioned by donbronzi and jon- in the indicated thread. I am asking in particular because vangrieg stated the used Qualcomm processor shouldnt be the fastest.
As to the touch screen, this is certainly a subjective matter but personally I really like Samsung's way to respond even to a very very light touch without having to actually press it. So you would say one actually has to press it, a light touch doesnt do it?

Touch HD finger pressure
After owning a Touch Diamond, I feel that the screen is much more responsive. I dont have to press hard at all. I really like it so far. Yes it is a bit bigger and heavier, its still thin. All my programs are working great.

Thanks wfhowell, actually I just went to a store and expectedly they didnt have an HD yet, however there was the Diamond and considering my touch tests I slowly begin to understand the Apple fanboys. Coming from the Samsung F480 I was almost unable to use it. So how much would you say was the HD improved in this area?
Maybe someone who used Apple's, the F480 and the HD could outline where he/she would see the differences.

hi drzoid
i know what you mean about the screen but thats the difference between the two different screen technologies. if you want the ability to use a stylus the phone can only detect it if you push. iphones can measure the current through your finger with a lot less screen pressure.
that said i use rhe advanced configuration tool from the diamond forum to make the screen more sensitive. not as nice as iphone but close

Its the best phone till today... awesome tough still not perfect..
Unless you still think that a phone requires a QWERTY keyboard (I haven't missed on yet on this awesome phon) I'd run to my local dealer

Is it worth paying £500 to upgrade from the diamond? I'm not sure wether to go for it or not? Is the HD just a diamond with a bigger screen? Its a lot of money to pay just for that.

marcel808 said:
hi drzoid
i know what you mean about the screen but thats the difference between the two different screen technologies. if you want the ability to use a stylus the phone can only detect it if you push. iphones can measure the current through your finger with a lot less screen pressure.
that said i use rhe advanced configuration tool from the diamond forum to make the screen more sensitive. not as nice as iphone but close
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Marcel, I know Apple's touch screen as well as - probably - the F480's measure via the skin but nonetheless I was "shocked" today when I saw what touching means in terms of the Diamond.
How "close" would you say is the sensitivity you mentioned?
Can someone who has experience with the Wizard and the HD tell if there is an actual difference in the sensitivity.
I'd love to get an HD - even if its price is currently almost prohibitive - but I am not sure whether I'd really like to go back.

mwatson said:
Is it worth paying £500 to upgrade from the diamond? I'm not sure wether to go for it or not? Is the HD just a diamond with a bigger screen? Its a lot of money to pay just for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not worth the upgrade in my opinion.

I found you have to push a fair bit harder with the stylus on the screen than with your finger. If you use your finger it responds to a very light touch in comparism and is very responsive.

Thanks, for a real-world example, how hard would one have to press to slide the tabbar on the home screen left and right. Would just placing the finger without actual pressure be enough?

hi drzoid
how sensitive is the screen on mine...not sure how best to answer.
On an iphone I hardly have to touch the screen. As soon as the skin touches, thats enough.
With the HD, if I press the screen, I have to push until the top of my finger squashes by 1mm. Does that makes sense??!
So try pushing on a hard surface so 1mm of your finger squashes...and thats an HD

marcel808 said:
On an iphone I hardly have to touch the screen. As soon as the skin touches, thats enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like with the F480.
marcel808 said:
With the HD, if I press the screen, I have to push until the top of my finger squashes by 1mm. Does that makes sense??!
So try pushing on a hard surface so 1mm of your finger squashes...and thats an HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Marcel, perfect explanation, even though I am not sure whether this is really close if one has to push 1mm into the screen .
Somehow my excitement gets colder, unfortunately

F480 has a capacitive screen, just like the iPhone and G1, so the HD would be worse touchy-wise (resistive screen), but according to reviews HD's screen is quite close to iPhone's sensitivity. Anyway, you can't write with the stylus on those and you can on the HD

Insaneboy said:
F480 has a capacitive screen, just like the iPhone and G1, so the HD would be worse touchy-wise (resistive screen), but according to reviews HD's screen is quite close to iPhone's sensitivity. Anyway, you can't write with the stylus on those and you can on the HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, personally I dont really need a stylus, although the magnetic of the HD makes a precious impression. Anyhow Samsung's screen is what I would really define as touch screen. It would be interesting how close it is, but the 1mm Marcel mentioned doesnt sound too close .... I guess I will have to wait until I can see the HD live.
What a shame almost

For me, the ability to use stylus is a big plus. I like the option of being able to use product such as Netfront Browser. It is a lot easier to click on links and to type quickly on keyboards as compared to using finger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fingers. In fact, 99% of the time I use my device with just fingers. There are times when I feel that stylus is a lot easier. I consider this to be a plus over iPhone actually. I wish iPhone can support both, because then I need not zoom in before activating a link.

I would say it's about the same as using a touchpad on a laptop if using your finger, it's pretty good

mwatson said:
Is it worth paying £500 to upgrade from the diamond? I'm not sure wether to go for it or not? Is the HD just a diamond with a bigger screen? Its a lot of money to pay just for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both the diamond (business phone) and, recently, the HD (personal phone). The HD is a step change in a number of ways. The larger screen, in purely size terms, makes sense of the touchflo interface. Buttons are big, and useable, and I'm rarely (if ever) pulling out the stylus. Also the software itself is faster, more developed (losts of little changes - like answering a call uses a finger gesture, rather than pressing a button - which means you are much less likely to inadvertantly answer an incoming call in your pocket. a little thing, but one of a myriad of significant little changes). The stock ROM is blisteringly fast in comparison (my diamond is the t-mobile version, and a shocker in comparison). Given that they are roughly the same hardware it shows what the diamond may become capable of. The screen is spectacular. The sensitivity (though lacking multi-touch, no biggie for me) feels just right. The battery life literally takes my breath away. I've run it for two lumps of two days, and not yet got the battery below 50%. My diamond corpses after about 24 hours.
It's the best WM device I've had by a country mile, and I've had a few. I still like my diamond, though. It's little and I can look after it much better when I'm out for a riotous night on the town. The HD is big, and until I can get a silicone case for it, it's a dropped smashed phone waiting to happen (I hate having to remove a phone from a case to use it, it massively increases the chance of accidents).

Philio25 said:
I would say it's about the same as using a touchpad on a laptop if using your finger, it's pretty good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? If I judge it from my Acer Aspire I would then actually call it decent.
I really have to find a store where you can try it out .
eaglesteve said:
For me, the ability to use stylus is a big plus. I like the option of being able to use product such as Netfront Browser. It is a lot easier to click on links and to type quickly on keyboards as compared to using finger. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fingers. In fact, 99% of the time I use my device with just fingers. There are times when I feel that stylus is a lot easier. I consider this to be a plus over iPhone actually. I wish iPhone can support both, because then I need not zoom in before activating a link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I can talk only for the F480 which actually has Netfront and there you can click links without zooming, even if you have aim well sometimes.
Lets say I am not against a stylus but I am for the touch experience the F480 brings .

Still Deciding between X1 and Touch Pro (FUZE)

When the X1 was first announced, I was all over it. Then the Touch Pro with TF3D was announced, and I thought... the X1 is too 'raw' compared to the 'slick' Touch Pro, so Touch Pro for me!
Then I tried the FUZE (AT&T's Touch Pro) and I was disappointed in a few areas where I was not expecting to be disappointed (details below).
So, as it stands today, I am leaning back toward the X1 over the FUZE (TP). But it's a close call, and I'm still undecided. Here’s why:
1. Xperia hardware looks like a device that I would be proud to be paired with. In other words, just like Apple, Sony understands that a gadget can also be a fashion accessory. That’s a 2-fer in terms of value-add.
2. I have found the FUZE to be too heavy and bricky to be really pocket-friendly. This was a major disappointment when I checked it out at AT&T last week! I was all ready to buy the FUZE when I realized that it would take a serious adjustment to have that kind of weight and thickness in my pocket. It remains to be seen how I feel about the X1’s weight and thickness (since it's not released yet in the States). But, in terms of the specs published, the X1 looks to be about .5oz lighter than the FUZE. NOTE: The FUZE for some odd reason seems to be .5oz heavier than the Sprint Touch Pro and the HTC Touch Pro. No idea why.
3. The X1 has more hard buttons on the front panel, and more easily pressed hard buttons on the front panel. I have heard serious complaints about the “up” arrow on the X1 d-pad, but I will have to see for myself if that is insurmountable. I have played with FUZE, and the front panel buttons are not confidence-inspiring. I feel like it’s a negotiation with each press of the dpad.
4. The absence of the g-sensor on the X1 is stunning, and quite disappointing. What a huge bummer. What the heck was Sony thinking? G-sensors = cool + fun. Xperia = cool+fun. What am I missing?
5. The FUZE is about $175 w/plan on AT&T, and the X1 will be around $700 retail in a few weeks (with coupons, etc.). Yikes, that’s not a marginal difference in price, is it? I’m not sure I can justify a 4x price difference for a phone that is about 1.5x as good. Or, can I? Well, it’s like buying clothing: I can spend $200 on a shirt or $10 on a shirt. They both cover my torso about as effectively, but which one do I want people to see me paired with? This goes back to the gadget-as-accessory frame.
6. Panels. I figured they would be a dead platform as soon as 09, but the new facebook panel could be a game-changer. It shows how Panels could be the equiv to iPhone apps! Will panels have market mojo? What incentives are Sony peddling for developers to get on board? What kind of penetration can panels have if limited to only 1 device? Very chicken/egg situation here, and kind of a risk for X1 owners if they are relying on panels to breathe life into WM6.1.
7. TouchFlo 3D on X1. If this really ends up being portable to the X1 with 100% functionality and no bugs, then the X1 ends up being the more flexible device of the two. But 100% compatibility seems to be a ways off still, for many good reasons. Conversely, it is highly unlikely for several reasons that the TP would ever get panels. Sure, they might be portable over to the TouchPro HD, but that’s not the TP/FUZE, is it?
8. Keyboards. I’ve read some horrific reviews of the X1 keyboard, but they’ve been scattered and not consistent. So, I guess I’ll have to wait to actually try one myself to see how bad it really is. I tested out the FUZE keyboard, and I know it gets rave reviews, but coming from my HTC S710/Vox, I found the lack of space between the keys troubling. I’m sure I’d get used to it, but it seems like the X1’s layout (with spaces between keys) is more like my S710’s layout, which I find quite comfortable to type on. I am quite concerned about the lack of tactile feedback on the X1 keyboard, though. If there’s no feedback, then what’s the point of a hardware keyboard? Again, reviews have not been satisfactory around this aspect of the X1, so I’ll have to wait to see for myself.
9. Touchiness. I found the FUZE to be fiddly with touch sensitivity. Too often, a swipe was interpreted as a select, which was quite annoying. I've read that the X1 has a better touch experience, but that will be something I'll have to xperience myself, I guess.
10. Screen rotation. OK, big minus for X1 to have no G-sensor, but big plus for X1 for its apparent "instant switch" technology between landscape and portrait modes! I've seen some videos and it's quite impressive in Opera. One of the reasons why I 'dread' to go to my slide-out keyboard on my S710 is due to the lag. It's just painful to wait. If there were no "wait tax" on using the slide-out keyboard, I might go to it more readily.
11. Dpad+ features. The FUZE has the circular zoom thang, and the X1 has the glidey thing. No idea which is preferable. Both are interesting in their own way.
So, this is where I am right now re: X1 v. FUZE. To be honest, I am kind of looking for excuses to cheap out and get the FUZE just so I'm not spending $700 on a friggin phone. But the thickness and weight are things that I'd have to adjust to.
Does anyone have any thoughts/comments/additions to this analysis?
Jon
[cross-posted on X1 and Raphael forums so I can get both viewpoints]

Ops wanted to post this somewhere else sorry :-(

xperia has same hardware + bigger screen but no tv out and accelerometer. these are unuseful for me, and touchflo3D from touchHD runs great on x1
we have xda, we don't have to choose a device for his software, and xperia is indeed an HTC device so ALL tweaks and programs are compatible. x1 looks better and seems to be less fragile, i purchased xperia and now I tweak it with all i need from others devices

I have the same problem. Still unsure what device to buy, but tend towards the X1. I've used both devices.
Keyboard:
X1 wins for me. Its just more clear and more intuitive to use with the 4 row layout. Yes, the keys are small, but I had absolutly no problem with hitting the right one. The feedback was okay and definitely not a problem. The sliding mechanism is better as well, as is the depth of the slide-out part. It just seems more stable, better to hold and easier to use. Of course, A CRTL button and a CAPSlock LED would have been nice.
Size and weight:
X1 wins big time. The X1 is a little thinner and much more lighter. It just feels better in the hand and in the pocket.
Display:
Possibly the biggest advantage over the touch pro. The display is sharp as hell and web browsing is a pleasure. The fast and almost instantaneous swith between landscape and normal view is just awesome.
And some minor things like battery and the nice optical Joystick when internet surfing ...
Some cons:
X1 display not leveled. But when I used the X1 the first time I was surprised that its not a problem at all. the display itself is a little smaller than the cutting in the cover. So I had no problem pushing the X-Button or Start-Button.
No G-Sensor. Its just sad SE didn't implement that. Would have been nice, but its not a no-go ...
Will order it next week I think, but will take a last look at the touch pro to be sure ...

10. Screen rotation. OK, big minus for X1 to have no G-sensor, but big plus for X1 for its apparent "instant switch" technology between landscape and portrait modes! I've seen some videos and it's quite impressive in Opera. One of the reasons why I 'dread' to go to my slide-out keyboard on my S710 is due to the lag. It's just painful to wait. If there were no "wait tax" on using the slide-out keyboard, I might go to it more readily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, after you loaded more softwares in your phone, it will get quite laggy especially in some softwares, dunno about others, but it does lag here

nap007 said:
well, after you loaded more softwares in your phone, it will get quite laggy especially in some softwares, dunno about others, but it does lag here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... so is the lag gap because one is running TF3D and one isn't? How bad does the lag get? And is it from installed apps, or running apps?

it will be running (or even run) apps which are causing it. However a soft reset once every few days should ensure it runs smoothly all the time.

yeah i have to find a decision, too
i think i will buy the x1, because the dimensions the depth is 1mm smaller then the touch pro. currently i use the wizard, its a really fat door stopper.

I am fortunate to actually own both these devices at the moment (thanks to an upgrade on my contract) so I can tell you what my findings are:
:: Hardware X1 problems ::
My battery cover refused to stay on. I was forced to get a small screwdriver and push the little metal tabs (near the SE logo) down a bit lower. This has been noted in other forums. The battery cover is a pain to get off if you don't have long fingernails.
The soft-reset button is under the said battery cover! I mean who decided that was a good idea??
The speaker is situated in a place that is often covered up by the palm of your hand (if you are right handed) and subsequently blocks the sound. The same can be said for the positioning of the camera lens, which frequently gets covered by fingers as you hold the phone in a natural camera position.
Notification LED's that are just too dim to see as they are located in between the keyboard and top panel. They have a rather confusing display of colours and none of them give you signal/bluetooth status for example.
There is a much documented report of a potential problem with case cracking.
No G-Sensor and the keyboard lacks the tactile feel and separate number keys of the Touch Pro.
But...
It has a fantastic screen response, very smooth. Fast landscape rotation on opening the keyboard, which glides out in a smooth curve. Dedicated hardware buttons and a cool optical sensor which works really well in web pages. GPS is really fast and accurate. A proper separate headphone socket.
:: Hardware TouchPro Problems ::
Unpredictable button presses
Lack of hardware buttons, especially a windows key and an OK key (also missing from the keyboard) No camera button, this is a serious omission.
Screen is not very scratch resistant (2 on mine caused by the useless case that is supplied) It's also very unresponsive, I find myself 'jabbing' the stylus at it sometimes to get it to acknowledge a response.
Poor battery life. Heavy/Bulky.
But...
has a beautiful VGA screen, the BEST keyboard I ever used on a mobile device, has a G-Sensor, a magnetic stylus which turns on the device on removal, touch sensitive D-Pad (Ok can be hit and miss sometimes but great for zooming) and has TV out.
:: Software X1 ::
The panels are disappointing. You can only set up 9 at a time, so if this really takes off you're going to have to sacrifice a few of your favourites. That's assuming that the panel idea is not going to turn out to be a flash in the pan. The ones supplied are a tad dull.
No YouTube application
Not all software works with the WVGA screen. Especially games. I found about 20 of my favourite apps weren't supported. Ok, this may change when developers bring out new releases but some may never work.
:: Software TouchPro ::
TouchFlo 3D looks sexy, but it is probably the biggest cause of crashes. I found myself constantly soft-resetting. Eventually after reading other users comments, I turned it off and a lot of problems disappeared.
----------------------------------------------------
In conclusion....
Obviously pros and cons with both. I think none of us will ever be satisfied with everything. What aggravates me is that HTC (who make both devices) don't seem to take all the good stuff from past models and make the perfect device! You get used to one feature only to find it missing the next time you upgrade.
So we have to see which feature is important to us and decide.
Here is the clincher....
The TouchPro / FUZE is probably the MOST UNRELIABLE PDA I have ever owned. I constantly have to reset and cope with weird behaviour on a daily (no hourly) basis. Very unstable.
The X1 is probably the most RELIABLE PDA I have ever owned!!!! and has coped with a mountain of stuff I have loaded on to it, and it continues to cope admirably! I don't have to worry about using it.
This is the most important feature for me and is why ultimately I am selling the TouchPro very shortly.
Hope this helps you decide.

Apprentice,
That was a fantastic comparison/review. Thank you so much for your insights. So, the X1 does not seem "bulky" even though it's only 1mm thinner?

not at all. its quite small in person. xperia all the way

Thank you apprentice for your review, and to JonDeutsch for starting this thread. I could have written your questions/opinions almost word for word. I am in the same place trying to decide which of these 2 phones to get.
I currently have a 8125 (Wizard) that I have flashed WM 6.1 w/M2D. When I had WM5 loaded it was slow and I was having all kinds of lockup & misc problems. Since flashing wm6.1 the phone seems to be on it's second life (faster and no lockups), so now I'm not is as much of a hurry to get into something else.
I went to the att store a few days ago to look at the Fuze. I walked out more confused about which to get. I was not impressed with the Fuze at all. To me, it seemed slow and sluggish for a new model with a cpu that is >2x faster than mine. Comparing it side by side with my 8125 the size was smaller and thinner, but the screen was physically smaller even though they are both supposed to be 2.8".
I was really looking forward to the Omnia also, but since I don't know if it will ever be coming to the US I've moved on to these two models. I also like the Touch HD, but not having 3G for the US won't pass the test either.

JonDeutsch said:
So, the X1 does not seem "bulky" even though it's only 1mm thinner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly

Hi
I think all is said. I owned both devices and I selled my TP. Why?:
1) G-sensor is nice but I dont use it.
2) TV-out is nice but I only used it once to see a film in a hotel but hasnt full support with CorePlayer so the quality isnt very good.
3) Screen is much better in X1. Now you can really surf a web in your sofa.
4) GPS performance is much better in X1
5) Stability is much better in X1
..
So no doubt for me....
Dani

What led me to the X1 was a combination of the following:
- much longer standby time
- not much bigger than a default cell phone
- I like the X1's keyboard layout better (matter of taste...)
- standard headphone jack
- I prefer "rotate only when keyboard's slide out" to "Oops, I rotated the screen accidentally!". Though I admid the G-sensor would be fun for games. But then again, most games don't even support WVGA, not to mention a propietary G-sensor extension that makes the apps incompatible to everything but a couple of HTC devices...
- X1 is a bit faster in most tests. Though that's probably only a driver thing, the Touch HD is faster than X1 and Raphael with almost the same hardware and WVGA display (more pixels than Raphael).
- I thought the panels are an interesting idea. However, by now I don't give a dime to that. Too propietary, too slow, too limited (few available, max 9 at a time), clumpsy handling (press panel button, touch on screen, wait - every time you want to switch to another panel...), ...
- The WVGA screen - though that's been more of a developer decition, so I've got a test device for that. Otherwise, I would have preferred the more compatible and bigger (in size per pixel) VGA display.
- X1 looks better
- and it was a bit cheaper...
In hindsight, Panels, as mentioned, turned out as a flop for me, and having to use WVGA fix for some games is quite annoying. But otherwise, the additional screen estate is really great (browsing in landscape, lots of infos on the Today screen, more entries in lists, ...), the keyboard is way better than I expected after some reviews, and I like how it feels more like a "dump" cell phone in my pocket and regarding standby time.
The "optical joystick"s really nice in some apps (esp. for slow scrolling - for fast scrolling flicking is better imho), while sometimes a bit too sensible in others. I wish there was a better "(don't) use in that application" configuration then just the few fixed apps (iirc, PIE, contacts, and messaging). But if you don't like it at all, you can just deactivate it completely...

JonDeutsch said:
Apprentice,
That was a fantastic comparison/review. Thank you so much for your insights. So, the X1 does not seem "bulky" even though it's only 1mm thinner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome!
I can't recommend the X1 enough to be honest.
As for the bulkiness issue... it may only be 1mm less in depth (which I didn't realise as it looks a lot more than that!) but it's the difference in width that makes it less bulky. Also long and slim is way easier in your pocket. Finally the corners are nicely rounded. It really handles and looks like a regular 'candy bar' type phone.

user experience X1
I'll provide you with my point of view. Since i'm someone who actualy uses this for it's business functionality, i'm not that interested in sound quality / video playback/ camera functionality/ games/ eyecandy. My previous phone was a TYTN/ HERMES (last 2 years), prior to that I owned a jam/ qtek100 (20 months).
NOT having owned a TP/FUZE I won't be able to comment on it's pros and cons but having an X1 i can add some points which I think have been exagerated or been overlooked imho. I did look at a TP in a shop but wasn't impressed by it's feel, too plasticky/synthetic. The X1 looks and feels like a premium lifestyle accesory whereas the TP would be a top of the line 'gadget'.
Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the main issues in the reviews. I'm not bothered by it it but it is not as good as my HTC TYTN keyboard. Having said that, it's not as awful to me as some reviews implied, it's pretty usable to me. If you have bigger hands/fingers the TP might be a better option.
G-sensor
Looked like a lot of fun, but it would probably annoy me more than it would improve my life:
I do a lot of excel / powepoint/ word stuff on my phone and sometimes i'd like to pass my phone over to someone else to give them a glance of the figures i'm working on. With a g-senor the screen would tilt with eacht flick of the wrist putting some columns or rows beyond the visible area. Not having had that on my previous phones I decided I wouldn't be missing it.
TF3D/panels
At first i discarded the panels, flashed a lite rom and loaded tf3d. I thought TF was a bit slow , buggy and did not add any value for me so i went back to the plain WM screen.
Last week i reinstalled the panels, including the spb one and i 'm beginning to appreciate it. especialy the spb that has shortcuts to programmes and settings so i don't need the startbutton that much anymore (one handed operation!!) Best thing: it has a 'soft reset' button so no more picking at the battery cover to reach the reset hole (bad decission that is to have a reset button out of reach on a windows device). The SE panel is my main panel because i can display the next 5 or 6 upcoming appointments on one screen. TF can only display 2 appointments on the start screen afaik.
Dpad (touchscreen)
As stated above I used tf3d for a while. The fingerprints on the screen drove me mad. the same kind of scrolling can be achieved with the d-pad after a few days of usage and growing accustomed to its usage and responsiveness. I realy like the dpad now (allthough it could have been a bit more higher or the borders surrounding it could be a tad lower). Having this experience i was confinced i don't want multitouch or a full surface screen.
Arrow keys
This was the reason I nearly didn't buy the X1; I Liked them and used them a lot on my TYTN but after practising on the old TYN with the joystick instead of the arrow buttons I decided I could live with it. So not really missing them since the dpad has replaced this functionality. I admit it requires some effort to get a bit used to putting your thumb on the dpad instead of the keyboard itself but it's easy to grow accustomed to (after 2 solid years with my previous phone and it's arrowkeys).
Screen
Biggest gain. I can finaly look at full webpages on my phone and don't need to revert to the mobile version of a webpage. Clear and sharp but i can appreciate the argument that you need a bigger screen (i.e. touc HD) for this kind of resolution. For me and my sharp eyes it works fine , someone with less sharp eyes can use the zoom function of Opera .
Dimensions
Roughly about the same size as a normal Nokia candybar business phone. Some people complain it's a bit too heavy but i like that. Makes it feel solid.
Conclusion
My main conclusion up till now: it has the wow factor (someone actually said 'Wow' in a bar when i pulled it out). Thank god i didn't go for a full touchscreen without hardware buttons: the fingerprints would drive me crazy.
I'm happy with my choice but would understand if there are just some little things that would convince someone to buy a TP; just a matter of priorities.
The X1 is also too expensive to reccommend to everyone. I decided that the premium look and feel was worth it combined with the top of the range specs and the software flexibility. if it was a SE manufactured phone with symbian I wouldn't have bought it, the micro sd card and mini usb charging and the ROM enhancements are the reason i prefer HTC devices.
I hope the above helps....

Best thing: it has a 'soft reset' button so no more picking at the battery cover to reach the reset hole
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are other tools for that as well. Additionally, you can simply press the power switch for a few seconds. If you phone isn't crashed completely, a message box whether you really want to switch off is shown (and if it hangs, you're not able to launch something from a panel either...). Turning it on immediately afterwards does the same as a soft reset.
(bad decission that is to have a reset button out of reach on a windows device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only for those. Sometimes I wished for a reset button on other cell phones, too. But yes, the location sucks. Sometimes it faster to temporarily remove the battery...

[Q] How does the keyboard feel?

to anyone whose received their preorders, how is the keyboard? how does it feel and will it work well for large handed individuals?

You might want to post this in the G2 forum cos none of us are getting the Desire Z for quite some time it looks like.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=751

I've touched it, and I like it very much. The surface is a bit rough so your fingers won't slide around. The buttons are easy to press, yet gives good feedback. Spacing is good, but the buttons could be raised a bit.

I like the keyboard, it remind me of the older HTC phones with the slide keyboard just with more spacing. One thing i do noticed is the numbering on the top has a brighter color then the letters, and it throws me off a little when i type the letter "O" but keep pushing the number "0". after a while you'll get used to it though.

Does it feel basically the same as the Touch Pro 2 keyboard ? Because it looks pretty much the same, albeit with one less row.

to me, pretty close with the spacing and feel compare to the tp2. yes, there are one less row of keys though so you'll have to get used to that too if you were used to that keyboard

Ah that one missing row.
Seriously WTF HTC?
If you type any amount of numbers it gets old fast.
Seems the 7 pro is the only decent new phone.

Doesn't the keyboard have a key that allows you to set the keyboard input to numbers? Like how if you hit shift twice on the HTC Dream, it'll let you type in all caps without reverting to lowercase.
Bah, my question/explanation is awkwardly phrased. Brainz are dead

I must say, the keyboard looks really good and similar to the TP2, however, the HTC 7 Pro keyboard looks like the best one ive ever seen. Too bad the rest of the phone looks iffy and that it runs Windows Phone 7..

Swapped my Focus for a Quantum

Call me crazy, but I went in to AT&T today and swapped them out. I was really interested in having a physical keyboard, and was much more impressed with the build quality of the LG.
If you have any questions about the device, feel free to ask and I'll answer what I can.

I know what you mean, I came from a Galaxy S Vibrant to the Quantum and the LG blows the Vibrant out of the water in terms of build quality, the Vibrant felt like a cheap toy in comparison.

Yea I'm really loving the keyboard. Probably the best one I've used on a mobile phone yet. Overall solid build with just the right amount of heft.

dougp.me said:
Call me crazy, but I went in to AT&T today and swapped them out. I was really interested in having a physical keyboard, and was much more impressed with the build quality of the LG.
If you have any questions about the device, feel free to ask and I'll answer what I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't play with it as long as i wanted. But how is the keyboard, as far as a fast typer?. Example if you slide your finger across the keyboard. The asdfghjkl; how well does it pick up. Do it leave some letters out? Hope you can make out what im Trying to ask lol. I hope it has a better keyboard than lets say some issues with the epic 4g keyboard.

diego1985 said:
I didn't play with it as long as i wanted. But how is the keyboard, as far as a fast typer?. Example if you slide your finger across the keyboard. The asdfghjkl; how well does it pick up. Do it leave some letters out? Hope you can make out what im Trying to ask lol. I hope it has a better keyboard than lets say some issues with the epic 4g keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing I can compare it to are portrait keyboards like a Treo - but it's good for a wider keyboard.
Here's a test by line for you:
Qwertyuiop
Asdfghjkl
Zxcvbnm
1234567890
@#$%&()-\
!;:'"?/
No issues it seems! =D

it picks up letters without a problem, but i find the keys a little too spaced and the FN/caps buttons don't illuminate, shows up on screen...Still very satisfied with the Quantum, it's very fast in comparisson to my 8925, but i like the tilt keyboard better.

Thanks well the keyboard seems nice. I still got 5 more months before i decide on getting one.

Doug,
Given that you first used the Focus, how exactly does the Quantum's 3.5" TFT display stand up to the Focus's 4" Super AMOLED?
The Quantum stands out to me for some reason and one of the only real concerns I have is how much I'm giving up on the screen front if I go with the Quantum. Did you feel like you downgraded on the display when you booted up the Quantum?
Appreciate it!

gillbell said:
Doug,
Given that you first used the Focus, how exactly does the Quantum's 3.5" TFT display stand up to the Focus's 4" Super AMOLED?
The Quantum stands out to me for some reason and one of the only real concerns I have is how much I'm giving up on the screen front if I go with the Quantum. Did you feel like you downgraded on the display when you booted up the Quantum?
Appreciate it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer, I do not feel like I downgraded.
Long answer - while the SAMOLED's look great, they have their shortcomings. They're 16-bit only, so there is banding (noticeable, given the size.) Their battery life isn't spectacular, but that could potentially be due to the size of the battery. Since the resolution isn't different, things tend to look sharper on the 3.5" - also, brightness is all personal preference. I thought the SAMOLED was way too bright for me.

Thanks for your time, Doug!

Does the battery life on the LG compare to the Focus? The Focus seems to have great battery life so I don't to give that up if I switch. I am mainly concerned with the sound quality of the Focus. Also, I am worried they won't be able to find a good SD Card for the phone. I think the Focus is the only phone that can combine two different types of memory (NAND and SD-card). I am not sure the OS can handle the speed differential without a software patch to slow down the reads/writes of the NAND so there is no difference between it and the SD-Card.
I saw in the MobileTechReview.com review that the screen sharpness is not that good. What are your thoughts?
Also, how is the sound quality of the phone? Is the speaker loud? Does the earpiece have enough volume?
Thanks in advance for your time and answers. There are not too many good reviews of the phone.
JS

Tested all 3 AT&T devices
After reading many of the reviews on the at&t WP7 offerings I thought what I wanted was the Samsung Focus.
Last week end I spent a couple of hours playing with the phones in the AT&T store. I currently have an htc Fuze and I wanted to stay with htc, but after playing with the Surround I was disappointed with the speakers. The heft was not worth it for the sound.
There are many in my family who are of the iPhone faithful and I have played with their devices many times and am able to type with their on screen keyboards without much trauma. The reviews said the Focus keyboard was as good as the iPhone. The Focus was fun to play with; I liked the 4 inch screen, but my fat fingers could not work the on screen keyboard. I spent quite a while trying to type in both portrait and landscape and I had difficulty getting even one word right. Unfortunately, Focus is out.
At first the LG was of no interest because of the small 3.5 inch screen; I didn't even realize it had a slide out keyboard. I wanted an AT&T WP7 device and the first two, after playing with them for a while, simply were not going to work. When I picked up the LG Quantum the build quality was obvious from the first touch. It felt perfect! To my surprise, I pushed on the case and out popped this very smooth hard keyboard. I was hoping that I could graduate from a hard keyboard after using my kid's iPhones, but after sliding out the LG keyboard I easily typed out a paragraph with no errors! It even has arrow keys which I was unable to find on the soft keyboard which made the much needed editing even more frustrating. I loved the feel of the LG!
After reading many online reviews and a couple of hours of utube videos, I ordered the LG Quantum for $80 from CellularDeals.com. I am now eagerly awaiting its delivery...

is there an app on the quantum that'll let you use the camera flash as a flashlight?
I saw a comment somewhere that indicated there was, but didn't specify if it was homebrew or not.

Quantum Screen Response
gillbell said:
...how exactly does the Quantum's 3.5" TFT display stand up to the Focus's 4" Super AMOLED?...Appreciate it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I now have my Quantum; the screen is the same size as an iPhone and not many iOS users complain about its size.
It seems that sometimes the screen is unresponsive, tap, tap, and nothing happens. I didn't notice it in the att store, but I do now. It may be my inexperience with a full capacitive touch screen, but, for example, if I touch the little arrow on the Home screen to access the app list, nothing happens. I have to swipe the screen to the left instead. The other arrow works intermittently also.
If anyone else has experience a similar unresponsive touch screen, please comment. I could be my unit needs to be replaced.

hey all! i thought id throw in my .02, as i won a quantum, and it arrived the other day! FWIW; i have worked for at&t for well over a decade, and couldn't begin to list the devices that i've had in my posession. however i can say that in 3 years i've rotated through an iphone3g, htc tilt 2, htc aria (which i still am using), samsung captivate, and now the lg. let me state for the record that i'm not a fan of lg phones. in fact i was rather disapointed to find that the quantum was the device i "won", as it was not my first (or second) choice if i were to purchase a wm7 device new. that opinion changed the moment i held, and fired, this beauty up. its nothing short of solid, well built, and highly functional.
this device is as responsive as any other capatacitive screen device ive owned yet...and maybe more so. typing on this device screen is accurate, and percise, even without the haptic feedback some devices offer. i do miss this option, but its not a deal breaker. the color is richer than i expected, considering its not the samoled screens some other devices offer. its size seemed to be a draw back at first glance, compaired to the smasung and htc, but has quickly become a non issue. the coating on the screen is oil phobic, like the iphone3gs, and cleans up quickly. summary: very impressed!
the keyboard...oh the keyboard...
ive never really liked having a physical keyboard. maybe ive become spoiled over the years; maybe since my first "smart phone" (htc sx66), nobody seemed to make one that felt solid. well, ive changed my tune. from the first solid "snap" of the board for service to my fingers, ive been a convert. this is not the crap lg keyboard they have loaded in their other devices. this one is clearly their way of stepping up to the plate, and showing that lg can, in fact, compete in the highly competitive smartphone device market. IMO, the addition of the function and caps buttons away from the main board body seem to make sense, and were a welcome addition. it seems mine dosent have the issue ive read here of a uneven back light. i was able to text in the darkness of my favoriate tavern last night without fuss. all the buttons lit evenly and just bright enough for my aging eyes to see without being over saturated, or needing to squint. granted, it darkenes a bit quick for my liking, im sure future wm7 updates will open more posibilities to adjust this. summary: quite impressed.
call clairity, speaker volume, bluetooth connectivity and battery life are all (mostly)exceeding my expacations. i say "mostly" because the battery seems to not quite make it a full day yet on a full charge. but to be fair, none of the devices i listed above ever really made it on a full charge from bell to bell. ive noticed its network strength is as strong as my aria is, and better than my iphone was (shocker). mulitiple bleutooth devices were added, and used without so much as a wimper. i would like a bit more sound volume (because im a touch deaf in one ear), or at least some sort of equalizer function...but thats more wm7 than lg. summary: really damn impressed!
the size, weight and build quality have (obviously) made me change my mind about lgs ability to produce a viable device that will likely see much use from me before it gets replaced...or should i say "upgraded"? good, solid and dense; it dosent feel like a toy that will crumple under my usage, or break if i get a bit carried away. it feels like a productivity tool...which is exactly how i intend to use it!
I hope this helps provide some perspective...and slightly more than .02!
ciao!

I went from a Tilt2 to a HTC Surround... HATED not having the slide-out keyboard, got an LG Quantum... LOVE IT!!!

Good Battery Life
DamnageD said:
...summary: quite impressed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DamnageD said:
...call clarity, speaker volume, Bluetooth connectivity and battery life are all (mostly) exceeding my expectations. I say "mostly" because the battery seems to not quite make it a full day yet on a full charge...
ciao!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Quantum was delivered on 7 December and last night, 20 December, was only the fourth charge including the first one out of the box. Last night I talked with my brother in Oregon for about three hours and the little battery icon was pretty small.
My wife is using the Quantum most of the time and her usage is lower than mine, but she makes and receives calls all day, does a few text messages and when we are driving around, every time she sees blue lights or hears a siren she goes onto her favorite websites, the sheriff’s scanner and fire rescue site. She has her favorite websites pinned to the home screen at the bottom and can logon in seconds anytime with a slid and a tap.
Because of a posting mishap, it is now after 11pm 22 December and the battery icon still says the Quantum has about 1/3 charge after two days of use.

rossi32s said:
I went from a Tilt2 to a HTC Surround... HATED not having the slide-out keyboard, got an LG Quantum... LOVE IT!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so, did you notice phone get too hot when charged ?

I did not have the HTC surround long enough to charge it more than 2x. My LG Quantum does not get hot during charging.
I had to charge my Tilt 2 every day since I use outlook with exchange and the connection is always open. I have the same setup with the Quantum and only charge it every 2-3 days.

Post your Xperia Play gripes and annoyances

Nothing in this world is perfect, we all know that.
What annoying you about your Xperia Play? Anything from little tiny niggles to other bugs. Discuss and see if we have any fixes
(Btw I love this phone and by no means am I slagging it off, these are little annoyances )
I'll start:
The sliding screen wobbles a little
My volume slider has a small imperfection that makes for a slight pointy feel on the bottom
When using Bluetooth headphones, turning them off before stopping the music crashes the phone and forces a reboot (Bug)
Right trigger feels more loose than the left
None of these really affect how the phone functions, they just annoy me a bit
What you guys got?

I think the only thing that has really annoyed me is the auto-dim. That thing is ridiculously sensitive.
If I wanted to get really picky - when the game pad has been slid out the right side of the screen sags a little lower than the left side.

I'm annoyed with the lack of L2 and R2 buttons, it limits the phone's emulation capabilities a whole lot.
I would do with a livelier screen, I feel the colors are so bland now in comparison with my old Galaxy S...
The back cover is jokingly frail, and the SD card doesn't work if you remove it... I'm thinking of getting a spare one.

My issues:
1) Stock camera app instead of the Arc's
2) R-trigger much more lose than the left
3) Back cover is too difficult to remove, and feels like it will break at any moment.
4) Bottom of phone squeeks on the back panel/battery cover
5) Phone's reception is very disappointing
6) Camera/Video capabilities are extremely disappointing
7) Lacks backlit keys under screen
8) Notification light in a less than ideal location
9) 512MB RAM chokes at times
10) Headphone jack and usb port on side of phone; need to be on the top and bottom repsectively
11) Auto-dim needs the option to be turned off (like on almost every other phone available!)
12) Phone takes quite a while to charge to 100%
13) Volume button is difficult to press while holding the phone vertically; not easy to feel +/- without looking

i dont really have any of them problems lol.
only thing annoys me is 512 ram
also i dont know what ive done but i dont have the autobrightness either. it stays on whatever brightness i set it to onthe power control widget :/ it also tells me 2.3.2 is the latest update tho lol

Well, I've had a nose around and the wobbly screen can be sorted with the mouse slider pads you have on the bottom of your mouse, just stick a few onto the back.
With the auto brightness I am confident the up coming CM7 Rom in development that it will be added.

TehH4rRy said:
Well, I've had a nose around and the wobbly screen can be sorted with the mouse slider pads you have on the bottom of your mouse, just stick a few onto the back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is actually quite ingenious!! Can't believe I never thought of that. My play hasn't had this problem yet but I know it will eventually, the OG droid had it big time and was the reason I gave up on that phone and moved over to the Dinc.
For people complaining about the auto brightness and general screen brightness issues, are you aware of the factor installed "screen protector" thats on the play? I haven't done it yet but apparently you can easily remove it and make the screen much brighter, more responsive and less like to have auto brightness issues. Look here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1094245

Frogybloop said:
This is actually quite ingenious!! Can't believe I never thought of that. My play hasn't had this problem yet but I know it will eventually, the OG droid had it big time and was the reason I gave up on that phone and moved over to the Dinc.
For people complaining about the auto brightness and general screen brightness issues, are you aware of the factor installed "screen protector" thats on the play? I haven't done it yet but apparently you can easily remove it and make the screen much brighter, more responsive and less like to have auto brightness issues. Look here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1094245
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are mouse slider pads?

Logseman said:
I'm annoyed with the lack of L2 and R2 buttons, it limits the phone's emulation capabilities a whole lot.
I would do with a livelier screen, I feel the colors are so bland now in comparison with my old Galaxy S...
The back cover is jokingly frail, and the SD card doesn't work if you remove it... I'm thinking of getting a spare one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This except for the screen. I owned a Captivate with the SAMOLED and loved it but I just came from a Desire HD so this screen is amazing compared to it.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

1) Stock email not accepting security certificates from exchange meaning the arc / play is not business ready. Htc, iphone, bb all do this.
2) Screen is a joke in the sun. No two ways about it. Whenever I try to show off the plays gaming to my friends, seeing them squint / struggle to see the screen embrasses a little. Also us it me or does this Screen just love attracting smudges. I spend so much time cleaning it ;-)
3) touch screen sensitivity. Never had problem typing on the iphones screen. On this I just can't help missing. On the iphone, I think due to it needing electric charge from finger it was a lot more accurate. On this the first tiny tap of one my fat fingers selects the letter. Generally either to the side or above the one I need. Ok I use swype to remedy this, but don,t help when selecting links in the web
4) loose screen clinking away typing.
5) screen brightness flickering away, even with protector removed.
6) force close, hanging when using messaging and dialer pisses me off also.
7) wireless flaky as hell. drops for noreason. i..e connected but with limited connectivity. No other device does this in my home, three lappy's, one iphone 3gs, one ps3, one xbox, one wii, psp. All work fine ( not on the same time obviously) Why the hell does my xplay just drop for no reasson.
Other than that I am well happy.
Sent from my R800i using XDA Premium App

1. Screen is too dark. Unusable in any type of sunlight.
2. Graphically intensive games lag like a *****.
3. The phone also lags at times.
4. Sometimes loses wi-fi for no reason.
5. Signal drops out sometimes.
6. DPAD is too close to the upper part of the phone meaning you can't use flat of your thumb. Making it very difficult and uncomfortable to use 'up' in games that require a lot of 'up' movements. eg. beat em ups, football, 1942 style shoot em ups, rpg etc.
7. Screen isn't most sensitive or accurate. My Iphone 2g was better.
8. No HD recording. WHY?!
9. Poor battery.
10. Auto dim is stupid.
Apart from that, I love the phone and wouldn't change it for the world. I am a gamer first, I will always choose a pad over the above.

No issues whatsoever for me because i research into other peoples fixes for any problems i have,
and can i point out for everyone complaining about auto brightness,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085086&highlight=auto+brightness
Enjoy

This is my first smartphone...so a lot of this is new and exciting to me...but ether are a few things..
0. No root for r800x!!!!! Lol
1. No hdmi our like my girlfriends droid x.
2. Ergonomics...hand cramping when gaming.
3. I always have to physically look fire the volume.
4. Ram.
5. triangle and up buttons are a bit close to the screen...it would be nice to have an option for backlit
Buttons...despite the mediocre battery life.
All if this in no particular order. I love the phone as its kind if been my pspa nail in the coffin...since I used my psp mostly for emulation.... Rip psp.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

nelly_boy said:
2) Screen is a joke in the sun. No two ways about it. Whenever I try to show off the plays gaming to my friends, seeing them squint / struggle to see the screen embrasses a little. Also us it me or does this Screen just love attracting smudges. I spend so much time cleaning it ;-)
3) touch screen sensitivity. Never had problem typing on the iphones screen. On this I just can't help missing. On the iphone, I think due to it needing electric charge from finger it was a lot more accurate. On this the first tiny tap of one my fat fingers selects the letter. Generally either to the side or above the one I need. Ok I use swype to remedy this, but don,t help when selecting links in the web
7) wireless flaky as hell. drops for noreason. i..e connected but with limited connectivity. No other device does this in my home, three lappy's, one iphone 3gs, one ps3, one xbox, one wii, psp. All work fine ( not on the same time obviously) Why the hell does my xplay just drop for no reasson.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have these problems as well as a LOT of Wi-fi issues. It is the only device of the many i have that has wi-fi problems.
I also have problems internal memory being way to small. I love collecting games I have well over 400 on my Ipad and under 20 on my x Play and the internal memory keeps getting lower and lower. I'm going to be forced to root soon.
And lastly the volume buttons suck and are hard to push if you are in a hurry to turn it down. For instance it you have the volume up loud from home and your timer goes off in the middle of an important meeting. LOL

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=14940589#post14940589
Where I got the Mouse Slider pad idea from. Made a big improvement on my phone when I close it, Might stick two more on.
And yes the only camera I had to hand was my phone

R button less responsive than L
Brightness a little dark
Impossible to desactivate auto brightness
Coulours very poor than my old Desire
Sent from my R800i using XDA App

dunno what everyone's talking about, I've no problems at all! ha, guess I got lucky! Well, I lied, I've 2 small ones, but nothing to write home about.
Minor issue with wifi dropping, but have found that it usually occurs where the reception is kinda iffy
And my screen SLIGHTLY wobbles...but I'm not too fussed about that!

mastertiti2000 said:
Impossible to desactivate auto brightness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One way was just posted like 3 posts up.
I don't have a lot of gripes left. Fixed the crappy typing issue with a new keyboard, and taking off the screen protector. Fixed my no screen off animation issue, fixed the buggy sony launcher for launcher pro, and most my other gripes.
Only things left are
notification light position sucks
I miss my amoled display (indoors anyway)
I don't see the big deal with ram, Android doesn't really need more than 512mb. The reason you only see 140mb free at idle is cause it caches the bajeesus out of your commonly used apps. If it needs more ram it can and will make room. I personally have not seen any significant lag in games from lack of ram.
And someone said poor battery??? This phone has amazing battery life compared to most smart phones.

I know...battery is amazing compared to my Desire HD.
Sent from my R800a

Well I came from a epic 4g and well I am not use to on screen keyboard so I mistype a lot of words lol,
Phone comes at a good speed besides start up which my epic was rooted with speed rom.
I allways lose service for no reason.
Wifi I havent had a problem
Havent had any slow down on anyp games yet,
Battery is sooooo much better then my epic I had to chargd it every 5 hours and this phone not until the next morning.
Other then that I love this phone
Sent from my R800x using XDA App