I'm trying to get a phone for my girlfriend. I've been looking at iPhone 3GS but it's hard to get a good deal on one (I'm buying used, no contract). The Aria is the more budget-friendly Android device from AT&T but it's also made by HTC.
So, that being said:
1) How high of an over-clock do you guys get with battery life/daily usage being concerned?
2) How smooth is the OS? I mean like, scrolling, home force closes and multi-tasking.
3) How is gaming on this? Has anyone played PSX4Droid on it or Crusade of Destiny or Hero of Sparta on this device?
Essenar said:
I'm trying to get a phone for my girlfriend. I've been looking at iPhone 3GS but it's hard to get a good deal on one (I'm buying used, no contract). The Aria is the more budget-friendly Android device from AT&T but it's also made by HTC.
So, that being said:
1) How high of an over-clock do you guys get with battery life/daily usage being concerned?
2) How smooth is the OS? I mean like, scrolling, home force closes and multi-tasking.
3) How is gaming on this? Has anyone played PSX4Droid on it or Crusade of Destiny or Hero of Sparta on this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't overclocked the phone - I don't see a need. Others have done so without a problem. There is a "sweet spot," so to speak - search "SetCPU" on this forum for more information. The Aria battery seems to be an issue, although with smart phones with touch screens, wifi, data, moderate/heavy use, batteries are being asked to do an awful lot these days...
The OS is very smooth (in my opinion) even with the Stock Sense UI, which I really like. The biggest issues with the stock at&t ROM are bloatware and the inability (for now) to move applications to the SD card (to save space on device memory). The scrolling is fast, switching apps works great, and Android Memory Management seems to do an adequate job. I have had the occasional force-close (not too often), but only with bad acting applications. I have CM running now, but when I had the Stock Sense ROM loaded - it was stable as a rock.
I have only played a couple of Sony SNES games using an emulator. They seemed just fine. I'm not a big gamer, so I can't say if the Aria is good for gaming.
The Aria is a great phone -
Great size (not freakishly huge) - fits into a pocket easily
Minimalist design
Excellent OS: stable and speedy. I haven't had it lock up yet - over a month's use.
I narrowed my upgrade choices to two phones:
Palm Pre
Aria
The Pre seemed a bit chunky (a lot thicker) and it was a bit laggy - I touched the e-mail icon and it slowly (albeit elegantly) started the e-mail application. The Pre has a lot to offer - great multi-tasking, hardware keyboard, and very nice screen. The Pre also is a Palm device (WebOS) and can run legacy Palm applications, if that's important to you (it was what originally drew me to that phone - I'm a Palm addict).
The Aria, in contrast, seems to launch applications much more quickly. It's also a much thinner phone, and easier to carry. It multi-tasks, but the switching isn't nearly as refined as the Pre's.
The decision is ultimately up to your girlfriend - Have her check the phones out and decide for herself. She may not be as into messing with the phone's OS as much as you are...Remember - she's the one who will be using it.
1 - generally overclocked at 806 with no issues at all. can't tell a difference in battery drain after a days use oc'd or not oc'd.
2 - a lot of the smoothness depends on the launcher you're using. once you're rooted and running cm6/7, you can choose from any number of launcher (launcherpro, adw, zeam). i recently changed to zeam launcher and have been exceedingly happy with it.
3 - i play a lot of snes games (via gameboid) and notice no poor performance. i recently got dungeon defenders and its running just fine as well. casual games like angry birds and game dev story work great as well.
i would recommend this phone to anyone.
I keep SetCPU set at 864 on demand and I have never had any stability problems and have really only gotten the phone unsettlingly warm when playing games, and due to on-demand scaling my battery life is the same if not better than stock. My only complaint about this phone (perhaps this is an individual case) is that the multitouch in games is terrible. Two player reactor/air hockey, games that require simultameous moving and jumping or shooting are often frustrating because both touches do not register correctly: the phone detects each touch, but continues to register after one finger has been removed. Unfortunately I have confirmed this with multiple sensor viewers and drawing apps, so it does not appear to be app specific. And again, this may be a problem that only my device is experiencing, but its important to keep in mind...
Ive had the Aria for a week or so now. I picked mine up on Ebay as a backup phone as my Nexus1 is out to HTC for repairs. I have CM6 on both my phones, and when OC'd to 806, I really dont notice any difference between the Aria and Nexus' snapdragon in normal operations. Launching any app is faster, and a tiny bit smoother on the Nexus, but the Aria is not that bad.
Im actually really enjoying my Aria, as the smaller form factor is nice. Most phones are getting bigger, but my hope is that HTC packs a snapdragon into one of these little phones.
I've just downloaded the nightly of CM7 and gonna try that out.
This is my first smartphone I got a real deal on like 40 bucks referbished. I've had it for a month and no problems. Its really quick even at normal clocked speed. The only time it ever slowed was when I was using a task killer took that off and its nvr worked better. In my opinion the aria is to small for games on most of the emulators the buttons take up most of the screen and multi touch isn't all that great. In my opinion I'd go with the aria over the iPhone Idk wat apples os is like but android is very promising its almost limitless
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
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im currently eyeing on an android phone.n since my budget is not so high,i am considering the htc hero.my question is,does the hero lags often when using custom rom or android 2.1?what else is disturbing with this phone in ur opinion?
im using xperia x1 now,btw...
ur opinion is much needed.thanks in advance!
The hero is a great handset get one!!
Runs fine on 2.1 video graphics vastly improved over the old 1.5 rom and the camara seems to be improved too!
biggest annoyance is the camera's lag (from the time you press the button until it captures the image). i've tried basically all of the 3rd-party camera apps, essentially the same in terms of this issue. didn't use the camera much before i switched to a custom ROM, but based on the complaints on the sprint forums i'd say it's in the stock rom too.
Personally, with the newer handsets arround now, I wouldnt get it, but its still a great little handset. With overclocks (up to 768 on newest models) the phone runs 2.1 fast, smooth and all in all, great. 3d performance is great concidereding it has no dedicated GPU, though the latest 3d games will lag... but its a great size, much nicer to hold than the desire in my opinion.
Dont worry about speed. Unless you plan to do 3d gaming on it, the hero will not limit you at all!
Cameras seem to be a weak point for HTC in general. My old TyTNII's camera was pretty much useless and the Hero's is awful too. (Mind you I haven't upgraded to 2.1 yet so it might help.)
CyberWalrus said:
Personally, with the newer handsets arround now, I wouldnt get it, but its still a great little handset. With overclocks (up to 768 on newest models) the phone runs 2.1 fast, smooth and all in all, great. 3d performance is great concidereding it has no dedicated GPU, though the latest 3d games will lag... but its a great size, much nicer to hold than
the desire in my opinion.
Dont worry about speed. Unless you plan to do 3d gaming on it, the hero will not limit you at all!
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Click to collapse
u mean,the hero sucks in 3d games?
i've read some reviews on the net n some of them claimed that hero is a bad device for web browsing.is it true? it is important to me as i always browse rhe web with my phone.
does this phone suit me as a heavy user of web browsing,average user for gaming(bt i demand smooth n great graphic) n crazy apps fan?
Well I've never had any problems with web browsing. Becuase it only runs 2.1 it doesn't support full flash - however it does support the mobile version what is ok for banners etc on website. I use my device for web browsing all the time and I love it for it.
Gaming is fine on it. I have mine overclocked to 691 (furthest I can go with my chip). and I can run the most demanding game I have ever found (Raging Thunder - A 3d car racing game with ace graphics) smoothly probably about 20-25 fps.
I love the phone personally
Wezternator said:
Well I've never had any problems with web browsing. Becuase it only runs 2.1 it doesn't support full flash - however it does support the mobile version what is ok for banners etc on website. I use my device for web browsing all the time and I love it for it.
Gaming is fine on it. I have mine overclocked to 691 (furthest I can go with my chip). and I can run the most demanding game I have ever found (Raging Thunder - A 3d car racing game with ace graphics) smoothly probably about 20-25 fps.
I love the phone personally
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Click to collapse
thanks for the great review! really helpful...
This is purely from a application POV, not benchmarks.
Has anyone had the chance to use either the Desire HD or EVO 4G and how do the latest HD2 android builds stack up from a simple performance stakes (Not metrics)
Personally there is nothing lacking from application performance POV but was curious to see what the gap is?
Just as snappy?
Applications load just as fast?
What are the differences?
I know it's hardly an all encompassing test, but I played on a friends Desire HD the other day and opened up a few apps (mainly wanted to see the time difference between loading Reckless Racing on both phones) and there was a minimal delay on the HD2, about half a second. Things like opening the settings menu was the same, as was the browser, calendar, messaging, market.
If anything I'd say there's hardly any difference right now on a correctly configured HD2. I think the only thing holding it back is whatever class/type storage card you use.
Might also be worth noting that the Desire HD has 768 MB of RAM, not really a major impact on speed but I suppose it would be able to have more programs in memory.
I had a chance the other day to play around with an EVO and truth be told I couldn't tell any difference at all between that and my HD2. I expected to see a noticeable difference but am happy to report that they ran at the same speed as far as opening apps and scrolling.
My buddy has the Evo. The biggest difference is the screen itself; much more vibrant.
It is almost like having a tv with a contrast ratio of 50,000 to 1 (Evo) versus 5000 to 1 (HD2).
In regards to Android; mine runs as good or better. His is a battery sucker; but he is not interested in learning about the technical aspects of his device.... Too bad for him; there appear to be many nice Roms in the Evo section to flash to.......
Me..... 4-7mA in standby...... Him? Dead after standby for 12 hours with light phone use.......
I just listened to music for 3 hours and still have 76% battery left.
Hello,
Just wanted to post some thoughts. Recently bought the Atrix 4G. Over the past 7 months ive had 7 different phones. Here are my opinions:
1) iPhone 3GS:
Well everyone knows about this phone, so i wont go in much detail.
Pros:
Fast Phone, Everything worked seamlessly, battery was pretty decent, TONS of apps to choose from, iTunes integration (i hate itunes personally).
Cons:
Its apple, no customization w/ out have to jailbreak every update, Everyone and their grandma has the same phone.
2) Nexus one:
One of the most beautiful, well put together phones i have ever used. Really opened my eyes to android. Its a pity it didnt get more advertising.
Pros:
The form of the phone w/ the trackball, build quality for the phone was premium. Pure android. Blazingly fast, newer phones lagged while this phone was hauling. Battery life was decent
Cons:
No multitouch (which you dont really realize how important it is til you dont have it). Screen wasnt as bright or detailed as the newer screens. Parts and accessories were hard to come by locally.
3) iPhone 4g:
I strongly dislike apple, but i had to see what the fuss was about.
Pros:
Very well put together phone, extremely fast, access to large app store, very little lag, battery life was very good. screen was excellent quality, tons of accessories.
Cons:
Its apple, jailbreaking was becoming increasingly difficult because of baseband and OS. Everyone has this phone which makes me dislike it (personal reason but meh, we all like to be different). Everything is based through iTunes which i dislike.
4) Windows 7 Phone (samsung focus)
At first i thought the phone was stupid looking but then i decided to try out the metro UI.
Pros:
Fast phone, the metro UI on the inside of the OS (once you actually get into the apps) was brilliant, ease of use (good for most, bad for me since i like to change everything), BING! ( i really like bing after using the phone, integration was awesome). Zune integration was stellar. I really prefer zune (which i had never used before), to iTunes.
Cons:
There are alot. First, no multitasking or fast app switching. Relaunching an app every time you want to read a text message is annoying. Having a timer countdown and expecting it to go off when finished and it not going off because your screen wasnt currently on the timer app is very frustrating. Microsoft updates.... will happen eventually. The copy and paste update was 2 months late. That was just copy and paste and a few other touches. Lost faith in microsofts abilities in updating the OS. Lack of accessories such as car mounts etc... Battery life was pretty bad.
5) Blackberry Torch 9800
had to try it out on my quest to try every os. I actually came to like this phone
Pros:
BIS security, everything is encrypted. Email was the best i ever had. Had everything pushed to my phone from blackberry servers w/ only a couple mins delay after they arrived in my actual inbox. Form factor was awesome. First physical keyboard and it was really nice. No need to jailbreak/ unlock phone. Everything was open for user changes. TONS of options for everything. Battery was amazing, best ive had. Easily lasted 2 days of heavy usage. Multi tasking and multi touch like a pro.
Cons:
The phone came out in nov 2010. It has a 600 mhz processor. Its just not enough to support many games or intense apps. It saves the battery but in a field of emerging dual-core phones, they have to be more competitive in term of pure power. Screen was dim and resolution sucked. Lock button was designed by a monkey. couldnt put in pocket w/out unlocking the phone. Internet was slow, streaming apps (like pandora) was a joke, always skipping and lagging.
6) Palm Pre 2
Once again, it was next on the list. It would OS of the year on some poll.
Pros:
The OS is excellent on this. I really do like the cards and the gesture support. If there is one thing i could take away from this phone, it would be the OS. Just awesome and intuitive. "jailbreaking" was easy to do, and there is a 3rd party market "preware" that has lots of apps and "patches" that change things for your phone. Screen was nice, physical keyboard was nice (prefer the blackberry one more though). 1 ghz proc was able to launch apps and play 3d games decently. Dungeon hunters and angry birds etc...
Cons:
Battery life!! 1050 mah battery is abysmal. worst of all the phones ive tried. 5-6 hours of medium usage max. If you were playing a game, you better have it plugged in. Even playing solitaire drained the battery. I was able to use up the whole battery in 2 hours of 3d gaming. The form factor of the phone was a little kiddish. Did a little curve to the phone when keyboard came out. Phone is creaky. Started to have an "oreo" effect w/ in 2 weeks of usage. All hinges were loose and wobbled to the side. App market was sparce and there werent many new advances into the market. Screen was small and keyboard was... wierd. hard to describe but i didnt like it. Internet speeds sucks and streaming was not existent. Took 10-15 mins for pandora to launch and start playing. 2 min gap in between songs. if you paused a song it was take about 5 mins to start again if it started again.
7) Motorola Atrix 4G
Decided i needed to get away from kid hardware and back on the edge of tech
Pros:
Dual-core sexiness. psuedo "4g" speeds. Large screen. Nice resolution. Front facing camera. Fingerprint scanner. Build quality is nice. I prefer pure google experience, but i just installed spb shell and i love the interface and i dont have to deal w/ motoblur. This thing is blazing fast w/ no lag. Streaming music and video is easy. Navigation is brilliant. Oh how i missed android navigation. Tons of markets in the app store. Battery life is brilliant for the amount of power this phone is pushing. I easily get through the day of heavy usage. SD slot is a plus.
Cons:
I do get the occasional force close, androids open market is more open to malware. Motoblur = not up to date OS. Wish it was stock android. Finger print scanner is good idea but some times takes longer then just doing to the dots. Market place is kind of a cluster f***. Last thing is i keep pushing the speaker instead of the button on the back of the phone when im in the dark when i try to unlock it. Im afraid im going to break the speaker on accident lol.
All in all, the Atrix 4g is the best phone ive had, and i have had a lot. Hopefully this will help somebody if they decide to read through it all. Feel free to leave comments on your past experiences w/ other phones.
I agree with everything said here, and the lock button was designed by a monkey on the atrix as well.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Man, you are I are on the same boat except, I have never experienced a Palm phone, and I won't ever...
I loved nokia - symbian phones, but the OS is outdated, as well, the technology used to build the phones is from stone age...
Used all different versions of iPhone, iPhones are great and all, but they have same different boring UI. No customization until phone's JBen. Apple wants to monopolize the market with their iOS, great, go ahead and try, i'm not in.
Used HD7 as current WP7 and different bunch of phones with Windows 6.5, they are all okay, WP7 has potential but lack of applications is what keeping me away from trying their phones, also for some reason Windows phone release is really slow compared to Android phones in current market.
Android. Great potential, way better feeling while using the phone than other OS. Honestly, market may not have rich application selection as compared to iOS, but Google's getting there.
One thing I don't like about and I am not pointing at any negative aspect, what I don't understand is why the hell in the world every second software/application developer is running after iOS app development? Don't they see the potential in Android? Don't they see the growth? Just a simple comparison, EA mobile has more than 25 games/apps for iPhone, but only 8 or 9 for Android... And to be honest, I don't like it... I want all of the developers on board come up with an app for android... this is one of the reasons I would still like to have an iPhone on me, just to kill time, there is tons of apps you can just keep playing, reading, doing something with your phone... Again, all of these is my personal opinion... if someone have anything to say about it, well... go right ahead...
But, at the end, I am sticking with my Google Phone... To be precise, Moto Atrix and HTC G2... Lovin'em.
Thanks for share
path too long
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I'm on verizon and I have an upgrade available next tuesday and am looking at using it as soon as possible(totally frustrated with old phone.) Originally, I was thinking I would like the Droid Bionic, and since its release date is so close to my upgrade date, it seemed like that would be the route to go. However, I recently started doing some research on where I could find the best prices for a phone, and found the discounts on Amazon to be excellent! At this point, I can't imagine the Bionic costing anything less than $300, maybe 250 on amazon, but the Xperia Play is being offered for FREE!! The $300 price tag is a little hard to stomach, and I'm thinking if I get the play now, I can wait for the 2nd generation of LTE devices without the battery concerns.
I'll admit that I hadn't really considered the device before because I didn't think I'd be much of a gamer on a cell phone. I play games now, but they are mostly like angry birds, words with friends, robo defense, and other simple games without a real need of a dedicated controller. The phone being free, however, compelled me to do a bit more research.
Now, after reading nearly every review and watching nearly every video on the play, I am seeing more and more things I like about the device. I even went to the verizon retail store and played around with one (and some of the other contenders) for awhile. There are a few things I like about the Play, and some others that are of a little concern, and I was hoping that some of these questions could be answered by someone who has used the device for a period of time.
Some Good points:
I really like the feel of the phone, it feels different and "unique" even when closed compared to the endless range of black slabs out there. Being a guy who doesn't need to cram the phone into a pair of skinny jeans, I don't find it too bulky to handle.
Is this comfortable for everyday usage, though? Does the phone feel solid in the hands without all the security devices on it like in the store? Are the buttons workable? I wouldn't say I have exceptionally large hands, but they aren't small either, will I find it awkward to press those small front buttons or the unlock/power button?
Seeing a vanilla build of gingerbread was very, very nice. It reminded me of handling the nexus S and how impressed I was when I first saw it after using HTC Sense for nearly 2 years. Is there any real functionality lost because of this? Also: Since It is a vanilla build, I would assume OTA upgrades may be easier to obtain(sort of like the original droid) Does anyone know of Sony's plans to continue support for this (Maybe up through ICS)? I have been stuck with 2.1 for what seems like forever, and don't want this to be a problem in 2 years when I'm trying to download an app that isn't supported in older versions of Android. I'm not opposed to rooting, but I think that manufacturer support says something about what a company thinks of its products.
OMG THE SCREEN!!! I don't know about anyone else, but to my eyes, that is just about the best looking screen I have ever seen, even compared side to side to the qHD display on the Droid X2 I prefered the display on the Play hands-down. However, I am wondering if the front coating is durable. I don't think I would want to put a screen protector between my eyes and that gorgeous LCD.
In general:
Is the phone responsive for everyday tasks? (Gmail, Calender, Texting, Phone Calls, Internet Browsing, Music playback, Youtube, Facebook, Maps, Weather, News Widgets (such as pulse)) I use these all daily quite frequently and it can sometimes take up to 30 seconds just to open up my messaging app after receiving a notification of a new message. I doubt any more modern phone could be this bad, but any hint of slowdown now could be a bad omen of what is to come. I'm not too concerned with multitasking except for maybe loading a webpage while I switch over to messaging to answer a text, or for running an update service for weather notifications in the background.
Is it easy to type on compared to other phones in the 4 inch class? Does the shape or design of the phone impede this in any way? It was kind of hard to tell in the store due to the security devices in place.
With the usage described above (checking email, facebook, news, weather, etc. approximately once per hour, with about 30-45 minutes of phone calls, 20-30 texts, and less than an hour of gaming a day) would it be reasonable to expect this phone to last all day on a single charge? I currently have a large extended battery for my phone and it would be nice to not have that extra bulk. If this isn't reasonable, are there extended batteries/covers available for the play?
Is the lack of internal storage a problem, or is it possible to install apps to sd? (and is the speed acceptable if done so)
Any general bugs/glitches that should be known before deciding on this phone?
Anything that the phone might be a little zippier at if it had a dual core processor (besides more graphically intense games)?
How is the call quality/ability to hold a signal? This has been stated in a few reviews, but I am hoping the that issue has been fixed as of now (specifically the phone reverting to 1x in an EVDO area) I am in the city so signal strength shouldn't be an issue, but the ability to hold 3G definitely is.
How is the camera? I'm not looking for an SLR replacement, just something that will take snapshots where you can tell what something is without excessive noise/blotchiness. Is the front camera as horrible as they say? No one seems to post examples of pictures taken with that. Also, there is some confusion as to the HD recording capabilities of the phone. From what I have gathered, it is possible, but there are several steps involved. What are these steps?
Any possibility of Netflix support in the future?
In general, are you owners happy with your decision, and is it one you would repeat if you had to do it today (given the advantage of the Play being at least $130 cheaper than my next consideration, the Droid X2)
Sorry this post has been kind of long winded, I think I have addressed most of my concerns about the device in question that have not been answered by reviews from months ago (possibly prior to some software bug fixes)
Thank you in advance for your help!
The phone feels pretty solid for everyday use, and the curves make it easy to hold in a pocket.
If your worrying about a screen protector, SURPRISE. Theres already one on there.
I've never had any problems with the apps for everyday use. They open quickly, and pulse works quite well.
Some people find battery an issue, I dont. In between trains I do about 2 hours of gaming, check email every 2 hours, post Twitter updates, and still have half a charge by the end of the day.
The camera isent as great as other phones, but it works.
For Netflix support, you can find the .apk someone on the XDA site, and it works perfectly.
Get it if your into gaming on the touchpad.... Otherwise I don't see why you should.
For a phone that has nearly the same specs as the galaxy s, it runs a lot smoother. There are no lag issues, it has ran everything I've thrown at it smoothly.
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
I m using the PLAY too, and I found my HD2 with android runs a bit smoother.
the SE software is improving thou, it has been 2 updates, and the speed actually increase after each update.
Only get it if you want to have a game pad or the NAVIGATION pad (up down left right)
i love using the play with navigation pad.
I cant find any other current android phone with navigation pad other than the play.
Deoxlar said:
Get it if your into gaming on the touchpad.... Otherwise I don't see why you should.
For a phone that has nearly the same specs as the galaxy s, it runs a lot smoother. There are no lag issues, it has ran everything I've thrown at it smoothly.
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say it's worth it.
The only real thing that might keep people from taking it seriously is the fact that it's not a dual-core phone. When you actually see it's performance though, you notice immediately and forever after that it's silky smooth even on a single-core.
It's replaced damn near everything I use; and, most importantly: manages to be great at gaming without being mediocre at anything else.
I'm definitely interested in gaming on the gaming pad, as I can say pretty definitively that the reason I don't play too many games on my phone is because the controls are cumbersome or feel like the games are "dumbed down" to be able to be played with lackluster controls.
I have seen the performance a good single core phone can have (including that of the Play), but am kind of wondering, is it a little too late in the game to even be considering anything other than a dual core phone (I'm having this same delemia over possibly going with the Droid charge) I skimped a little on my first android phone, and because of my experience with that, I am scared that something I get that isn't top of the line now will be utter crap in 18 months - 2 years time.
The combination of acceptable (or great, according to some) performance, the game pad, and the price (in that order) make this appealing.
Sony Tablet S or P coming this month
I just got mine yesterday and I definately recommend getting one.
Feels solid, awesome games and its gonna get better soon as Playstation are soon to announce PSP games for the Xperia Play.
GO GET IT!!!
ps3taker said:
Sony Tablet S or P coming this month
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But these are tablets, is there any chance of a device with a form factor similar to the play coming anytime soon?
I got the xperia play around a month ago maybe 3 weeks ago. The phone is very solid its super fast i have not had any slow down with the phone to this date so dont worry about the core cpu's yet.
The phone is awesome, its amazing for gaming and if your still not into that its still an awesome phone i would say its the best single core phone you can buy.
The only thing i am disappointed about with the phone is the **** wi-fi radio it has terrible signal, it keeps me connected most of the time but around my house i usually only have 2 bars but with my brother's iphone and my old android phone i would be having 3 - 4 bars.
clewis said:
I got the xperia play around a month ago maybe 3 weeks ago. The phone is very solid its super fast i have not had any slow down with the phone to this date so dont worry about the core cpu's yet.
The phone is awesome, its amazing for gaming and if your still not into that its still an awesome phone i would say its the best single core phone you can buy.
The only thing i am disappointed about with the phone is the **** wi-fi radio it has terrible signal, it keeps me connected most of the time but around my house i usually only have 2 bars but with my brother's iphone and my old android phone i would be having 3 - 4 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i have the same issue, Galaxy S II has full reception and my Xperia only gets around 2-3 bars although it does keep reception. Thinking Sony might update the modem driver with the next update *fingers crossed*
Yea, the wifi is definitely weaker then most devices. I went out to buy a netgear range booster router and it fixed my problem though.... I can't believe how good netgear routers are...
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
the only reason i can think to make you buy the phone is the gaming pad. that is all. you will never get a better gaming experience on any other latest phone like Galaxy X II or Droid. i mean never
its a gaming phone and target for gamer. i strongly suggest you look for other phone if you not into gaming. i just dont want you to regret it when you bought it.
regarding the wifi, the signal reception is working great if i point the device to the router directly
just my opinion..
Like other have said, if you game on your phone get it. If not, get something else. All the rest is just waving your hands.
It is a solid android phone with a game pad. Nothing more, nothing less. If you never slide your game pad out, why carry it around? If you do slide it out, supported games (including emulators) are a completely different experience to every other phone. I cringe thinking about what Minecraft would be like if I had my thumbs all over the screen.
before i go rambling about my previous phones, all i can say is:
GO FOR IT
putting that aside, i was previously using a hd2 running android via the sd. i also had a htc desire issued by the office. i was content with both phones until the office decided to get rid of the desire. apparently, marketing was able to strike up a good deal with the network provider and thus issued us a bunch of iphone 4s. with the desire gone, i was thus left with my hd2 to run android. the problem was, i wanted a purely dedicated android device given that i would most likely never visit windows again. don't get me wrong, the hd2 is fantastic as it's reputed to be the most versatile (and hackable) phone. i've been reading up on the xperia arc as it has nice reviews. however, i was attracted to the xperia play even more because of in my opinion it's taken the lead in the "swiss army" fight amongst phones. i'm not a true gamer but i have enjoyed playing ps1 back in the days. with that, the play allows me to revisit those days and once again play with my fav games.
secondly, the phone itself is fantastic overall. the interface is fluid, i've experienced no hangs or freezes (not counting the psx game that doesn't run with fpse). battery is awesome and i really love the loudness of the media player. this was one of my gripes when i was still using my hd2: the volume needed to step up a notch or 2. i got myself the white xperia play and people in the office are really loving it.
i've already rooted my unit. as i have home and contents insurance i'm not worried about damaging my play. but say i did run into a situation which results in my phone being bricked/damaged/etc. i would most likely get my insurance company to replace it with the same. unless i find the other phones such as the evo or sensation coming up with a gamepad AND something else that the xperia play doesn't have, i'm definitely sticking to this phone for quite a long time.
Actually, if you are not into gaming.... After you get the phone and see the games available... You will be!
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
So I'm coming off contract on my current phone soon so I've naturally been checking out the market for a new phone. When the Xperia Play launched earlier in the year, to be honest I wasn't that impressed with it, but I've been hearing good things about it lately. Specifically how SE have continued to support it and fix the little bugs and glitches, as well as providing more functionality in the future and OS updates (crossing my fingers for the 4.0 update). However I am a bit cautious because I am totally new to Sony Ericsson phones, and this will also be my first Android phone. I currently own a Samsung Omnia 2 (i8000).
I realise a lot of things could be gleened from reviews, but the problem is all reviews for this phone were written months ago when it was first launched, so seem hardly relevant now after the recent updates SE have been making. What I want to know is, have these updates improved the phone significantly? Is the phone worth it now?
I am a keen gamer, so the physical controls definitely interest me, but I am also after good functionality in the phone too...making calls, how easy the keyboard is to use, music and video playback, how well the GPS works, how good the web browsing experience is, how customisable it is, how good the camera is etc etc - does the phone perform these functions well?
Also of importance is how is stacks up in performance against other high end Android devices (currently the Galaxy S II is the only dual core device on the Australian market) - how many Android apps and games are actually written to support dual core CPU's? How well does it perform in everyday phone operations compare to say the Galaxy S II?
One feature I'm particularly bummed about is the lack of FM Radio...I use the FM Radio in my current Omnia 2 more often than I expected, so I'll definitely miss that if I decide to go for the Play - has anyone written an app that's able to utilise the radio in the Play's snapdragon CPU? It still baffles me that SE elected not to enable the radio especially when touting the thing as a multimedia device, given the hardware is there already. Course I could stream it but that's a waste of data (and battery, compared to using the radio).
Another feature is the lack of internal storage...for a device that's supposed to be about gaming it seems odd that there is basically no internal storage in it, forcing you to use a microSD card. If anyone in Australia has picked up this phone through Telstra, what size (and class) microSD card do they package with the phone? Need to know if I'll be shelling out more money for a nice 32 GB card or something. Is it relatvely easy (without rooting the phone) to move stuff to the SD card or force it to install to the SD card by default?
Lastly, how comfortable is the phone to hold when gaming? I've noticed the PSP go, which has a very similar basic design, can become uncomfortable after a while as the edges of the device kinda dig into your palms, has anyone found this to be a problem with the Play? I couldn't really tell this from the couple of minutes I spent with one in store while it was covered in security tags and attached to a desk with cables.
Thanks for your time...it's a bit of a wall of text so I apologise in advance for that.
my 0.02$
pros: the tons of emulator support and mind you its improving
the fact that we can convert our own psx titles thanks to psxperia
of course the controls tho the joysticks due need a bit of getting used to
honestly think if SE wouldve designed the joysticks like the psp go it wouldve been alot better
the phone overall feels solid not cheap the controls is like a good lapdance on your bday lol
keep in mind it was marketed as a gaming device not a multimedia etc
the camera is great also the front camera is a bit so so
cons:
basically the storage and no hdmi out which wouldve been the icing on the cake
and like really we all know emulators psx games and all the crap we can run is gonna eat up alot of memory mine came with a pre installed 8 gb which is okay but after all the shi you can do with it it does feel small a nice 32 gb pre installed wouldve been nice
also the battery life is horrible due to all the bloatware installed nothing a little rooting magic wont solve
i used to get about a day out of it but now after rooting and removing all the junk
i get about 2 days of heavy usage and gaming before i gotta recharge
yeah the missing radio is a con to some but others are just like ill just get on youtube
"jerrys final thought" lol
the hardware is decent i mean were not gonna run call of duty on it
the overall functionality as a phone is great
but this thing is honestly lacking SOFTWARE "anyone got geohots number"
Anyone else want to give their opinions? I'm trying to get as much information as I can about this phone before I take the plunge.
I was t very pleased with the keyboard, but I installed go launcher ex and all the extras that come with it, and not only does it give some extra look, but it adds some really good features. I noticed that it gets very low on memory, but that may be because I've got 15 startup apparently or so. Haptic feedback could be a bit better, but other than that I don't have many negative views on it. The hardware gaming pad is very nice, but I wasn't ecstatic about the sensor pads. They are a bit irritating and take a while to get used to. The physical buttons are very very nice. I also like the bottom row of buttons (back, home, menu, and search) are also pleasing. Touch screen is very responsive. Also, it comes with like $25 worth of games pre loaded on it XD but I uninstall most of them, because they were unnecessary. If you like monetary at all, you'll have to buy this phone. If I think of anything else, I'll post again.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App
Thanks for the reponses so far.
I'd still like some more though - please post your experiences with the Play both good and bad...ANY information you think might be useful to know.
As said in other threads like this, it all really comes down to how much you play games that needs a dedicated gamepad to be really enjoyable and even playable in some cases.
The phone is pretty much as other Android phones on the market and it's doing the job as a phone pretty good. There's some bugs here and there, but not anything serious. There's a battery drain bug that can be fixed by manual selecting your network instead of auto selecting (only on the newest FW). The UI is fluent and smooth, the hardware build is ok, could be more robust, snappy response, nice screen, good dev going on etc.
It's not that elegant even though they curved it on the back it' still a bit bulky and if you don't play that much it will be a bad plunge to go for the play. It will be a slightly big lump in your pant's for 'just' a phone. It's not a brick like the Nokia N900 but you can feel it and see it in your pocket.
I think i have average sized hands so for me it's comfy to hold the xperia play while playing and do sometimes play games 3 hours strait without any discomfort.
I don't miss the FMradio even though it's been on all my phones since... Well the last, say 8-9 years.
Haven't really encountered any problems with the low internal storage. You can move apps to the sdcard and the dalvik cache aswell to gain more that way.
Bottom line it's a phone to play games on wich is does with bravour and i'm really glad i got it and i'm not missing anything on the phone side nor the whole experience as an android phone.
Just get it mate and start the gaming
Regards Dousan...
In my opinion we should not be so harsh to SE, they made a rather experimental device. Of course they can do better, but not without your money. Also I think sony is holding this thing back because of the ps vita.
Its rather unique that you can never be truly bored when you are carrying this phone. (I think touch screen controlls are 100% crap)
Sent from my R800i using XDA App
I have some input I can share after my 1 week with my 800x(VZW)... I had an EVO for a year and have a Nexus S as well. When I was looking for a new phone I really wanted a keyboard... but after some play time on an Epic and my gf's EVO Shift, I noticed I'm totally over my soft keyboard hatred and didn't need a physical one.. except it helps for gaming. The XP was the most logical choice for me.
I LOVE having solid control over orientation. The d-pad is perfect for fine cursor control without dragging a handle around. The GPU helps it perform as well or better than my EVO/NexusS. I heard complaints that the screen is terrible in the sun, it looks almost exactly as my EVO does, I'd say slightly better due to the factory screen protector. With the latest OTA the auto brightness problem is gone, thankfully! Battery life is similar to underclocked/volted EVO. I love how the Home key is a secondary power button.
Now for the bad stuff! The front cam is grayed out and underwhelming, but it works well enough. Locked bootloader is a burn for me, but honestly I'm having a much better time dealing with it than I thought. Vanilla Android helps a lot, but the bloatware makes managing apps difficult. I've had to let some phone-only apps go, but thems the breaks sometimes!
Overall, I'm very happy with the XP so far, I think you should give it a week or so trial and see how you like it!
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Edit with some more stuff! GPS has been tight, locks in seconds, and only problem I've had with the controls is that I'm having a tough time with SF Alpha 3, F-D-DF (dragon punch) motion is difficult for me right now. Otherwise it's been butter! I didn't care for the touch pad thingies on Crash Bandicoot, but I prefer d-pad gaming anyway.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App