Related
I just finished my 24 hour testing of the Nexus One for my employer and figured I would give my 2 cents worth:
1. On screen keyboard: Great, especially when used in landscape. Portrait has a bit more room side to side than the G1, and it makes it easier, but I wouldn't go so far to say in protrait it is a night and day difference. Landscape truly is, and I had no problem typing long messages in landscape mode, and using portrait for quick stuff. A physical keyboard is still a better option, IMO as a keyboard lover, but the onscreen is executed very, very well.
2. Speed/Android 2.1: I have tested some of the 2.1 ports on my G1, and as nice as they are, they do not give justice at all too what 2.1 is on a Nexus One. Blanket statement, the phone is faster and 2.1 is a great advancement. A more astute observation that I wasn't expecting, websites load much, much, much faster on the Nexus One. I didn't do an actual stop watch test, but a realistic guess says sites load about twice as fast. I am on an EDGE network where I do most of my surfing when not using WiFi... when on WiFi it was more dramatic (I actually loaded 1 site faster on the Nexus One than on my computer)
3. Stability: I tried my absolute best to slow it down and make it unstable. Couldn't do it. At one point in time, I had 23 apps open, the browser had 3 windows, I had youtube running, music, and so forth. Of course, several of the apps had to "reload" the last point I was at, but with this phone "reloading" is pretty much instant. The longest it ever took was one of the web pages had to re-download the content. I found that the phone's cache held my normal use just fine without ever having to reload.
4. Fit/Finish/Style: The phone has a very solid feel too, despite being very light in weight. Fits well in the hand, comfortable being used as a phone, and I got a lot of comments on it when I was out and about testing the "wow" factor (I was asked to go to a busy restaurant/bar and see how many people asked me about it). And, as odd as this might sound, being right handed the back button being on the far left was not a big deal, and I actually liked it's placement a lot since when I used it in landscape mode it was much more comfortable hitting it, and I think this is what they had in mind when they designed in like that.
5. Battery Life: Damn! That is all you need to know, Damn! I tried, really, really hard to push this to the max and see how fast I could run it down. I had WiFi and GPS both going, music playing, and was surfing the web as quick as possible, messing around with google maps taking a look at new and interesting places, and gave up. I used 80% of the battery in those 24 hours, but I was trying my best, for a little above typical usage it only went down 20% from 9AM-5PM. My G1 is usually about 60% gone over that period.
6. Conclusion: I am someone that pretty much demands a physical keyboard for me to even think about buying a phone. I am getting a Nexus One as soon as they become available through the company I work for. My manager is a BB addict, and she said as soon as we get it she is switching as well. That is a huge statement, her daily phone is a BB 9700, she texts and writes most of her emails from her phone, and the Nexus One out performed her BB 9700. She was using the google voice service to write, but she said out of all the texts and emails she wrote using it she didn't have a single typo!
Thank you for making my poverty that much more depressing.
cloverdale said:
Thank you for making my poverty that much more depressing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmao i second that!
But seriously, great review!!
cloverdale said:
Thank you for making my poverty that much more depressing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I third that
But excellent review by the way (especially on the battery usage!)
cloverdale said:
Thank you for making my poverty that much more depressing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too right, mate!
erlern said:
I third that
But excellent review by the way (especially on the battery usage!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome! I will say, if you check out the Nexus One forum opinions differ on battery life, but those saying it isn't good enough or are having issues with it not lasting long enough seem to have something off IMO.
I would say, with my normal usage, I could get 2 days of use on a full battery. Doing power use to the max I would get a full day. The only way I see this phone not lasting an entire day is if you are surfing the web, playing music, and using GPS non-stop type thing.
i seriously want a nexus so #$#[email protected]#$ bad its insane. but i cant afford it. being 18 sucks
no, being 14 and wanting a new android device sucks
hiddengopher said:
no, being 14 and wanting a new android device sucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That it does...........
hiddengopher said:
no, being 14 and wanting a new android device sucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, its so hard to get enough when your parents wont buy it for you.
And being to young for a job doesnt exactly help either.
With the HTC being the flagship phone for HTC, there seems to be many issues with this phone which seem very surprising for such an expensive phone.
HTC LEO or Nokia X5
Well, I haven't used an X5, but have had my Leo since thursday afternoon, been non stop using, installing new software / games on it, have not had 1 slow down, screen glitch, battery power has been exellent considering use of the phone I have done (WiFi always on, played games, watched movies music etc...)
dmonuk said:
Well, I haven't used an X5, but have had my Leo since thursday afternoon, been non stop using, installing new software / games on it, have not had 1 slow down, screen glitch, battery power has been exellent considering use of the phone I have done (WiFi always on, played games, watched movies music etc...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank for your reply, very interesting I was reading that the phone is plagued with;
Extreme battery drain issues
Screen glitches
And SLOW performance and lag
ROM flash issues
SMS issues
Most of the problems have been niggles, though there have been a few major issues suffered by some people. It doesn't seem to follow any logical rules who gets one that has problems sending SMS messages, or maybe others that seem to dial by themselves.
All in all it is an excellent device- probably the best HTC have yet released.
Expensive? Not really in comparison to the cost of other SIM free phones when newly released. All the major flagship HTC releases have been in the £500-£600 in the 1st few months, but they do come down eventually.
More expensive means more features, more features means more bugs
But don't worry. HD2 is great phone. Best keyboardless Windows Mobile device. It still is Windows Mobile device, so be warned if you haven't had one.
But if you had WM device and you are looking for new one, and you don't need hardware keyboard, then HD2 is great.
Sure there is many complains here .. but that is what forums like this are for. It's not so bad.
finesse said:
Thank for your reply, very interesting I was reading that the phone is plagued with;
Extreme battery drain issues
Screen glitches
And SLOW performance and lag
ROM flash issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Extreme battery drain? No- for a high powered device it lasts quite well. Cetainly better than my previous TG01
Screen Glitches: It is sensitive, but no 'glitches'
Slow performance/lag: Not at all
ROM Flash: Try and install something not designed for it and you may see issues. Stick to the official updates and no bother at all.
Finesse,
If you have seen and used the Nokia then I would go for it. As soon as you come to a device with the premise that it has a host of problems then your future good relationship with that device is lost before it starts!
Seen that so many times on this forum, hence my advice.
WB
I cant really speak for the Nokia x5 as I have never heard of it and dont know what operating system it uses but I have had my HD2 for over a month now with no problems at all. Everything runs smooth, screen looks amazing and games look fantastic.
If you have negative thought then steer clear as in my experience those people create their own problems to meet their own expectations but on the other hand if you are just curious because of other peoples negative comments then I would say dont pay any attention as overall its a fantastic phone and well worth getting. You wouldnt be disapointed and everyone else will drool when you get it out of your pocket. I dont know if you could say the same about a "nokia"
finesse said:
Extreme battery drain issues
Screen glitches
And SLOW performance and lag
ROM flash issues
SMS issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the only issue that really existed was the SMS issue but that's been solved with patches from HTC.
Screen issue can be solved simply by reducing sensitivity.
All the other issues do not exist. There is no extreme battery drain, no lag and no ROM flash issues.
I've had mine since Thursday afternoon as well and have been spending all day for the past few days playing with this phone, applying updates, and customizing it.
After the first couple days of getting used to it and getting everything set how I like it, I'm extremely satisfied.
This is clearly one of the best two phones in the world.
I would say it's tied with iPhone because iPhone has the best apps.
The HTC HD2 hardware wise is easily the best phone available right now.
I'm sure you meant nokia x6? If that's the case, the HD2 is a nice upgrade over that one...in every way imaginable.
freyberry said:
No, the only issue that really existed was the SMS issue but that's been solved with patches from HTC.
Screen issue can be solved simply by reducing sensitivity.
All the other issues do not exist. There is no extreme battery drain, no lag and no ROM flash issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no no the SMS bug is not been fix even the latest patch didn't fix it
The Pink Spot stil there is just not so strong as before but stil there
The craky sound + up dawn volume issue while in call stil there in many devise
So cross your fingers and pray before buying it so you get a zero bugs devise GL
PS if i was you i would wait 8 more weeks to see what other vendors are coming with
SOLRAC13 said:
No no no the SMS bug is not been fix even the latest patch didn't fix it
The Pink Spot stil there is just not so strong as before but stil there
The craky sound + up dawn volume issue while in call stil there in many devise
So cross your fingers and pray before buying it so you get a zero bugs devise GL
PS if i was you i would wait 8 more weeks to see what other vendors are coming with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am really not sure how to find these issues coz I'm not experiencing them. Either I'm one lucky customer or I'm just blind and deaf. Bought my HD2 just before Xmas and loving it!!!
enyaj said:
I am really not sure how to find these issues coz I'm not experiencing them. Either I'm one lucky customer or I'm just blind and deaf. Bought my HD2 just before Xmas and loving it!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have u tried sending out sms-es while ur phone is doing tethering with the computer? high chances of my smses not able to send through when i'm on tethering. Usinf VITO sms instead now...
enyaj said:
I am really not sure how to find these issues coz I'm not experiencing them. Either I'm one lucky customer or I'm just blind and deaf. Bought my HD2 just before Xmas and loving it!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you are one of the lucky ones, me too I bought mine before xtmas.
Have you try taking picture of a white page ??? Do you notice a pinkish color in the center ?
Can you type 10 words with out faults ?
Has your phone Died? eg leaving it at night and next day he is just dead ?
Can you view an excel file in ful page, something that should be easy since both applications are MW yet Iphone does it why Leo cant ?
Are you sure there are no sms in your out box ? go in Traditional mode and check it out.
And sound while in a call is to loud, that ends up cronhing in your ears and can hear your own voice on ECHO.
Please take a look in XDA treads many people are talking about it since November
Ps I would love to be one of does who write nice things of there devise but in my case is impossible
I've had my Leo for about a month now and I'm really enjoying it so far. No battery issues and the speed as well as the display is phenomenol. It looks great and my only complaint would be the sensitivity issue, I still have problems with the keyboard but other than that everything works great.
enyaj said:
I am really not sure how to find these issues coz I'm not experiencing them. Either I'm one lucky customer or I'm just blind and deaf. Bought my HD2 just before Xmas and loving it!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No- you are one of thousands of 'lucky' customers. This sort of forum by definition focusses on negatives, of which there have been some significant examples, but they are in the minority overall.
To the OP- no-one can tell you what to buy. I don't know anything about the Nokia X5 (X6?) but rest assured that it will also have its problems, and the Symbian forums will be full of people complaining about this and that failing.
Try and get hold of a sample of each in the flesh and see which one most closely fits your requirements.
finesse said:
HTC LEO or Nokia X5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean the X6? If so, I tend to think of the Nokia as a polished phone with extra features like video and movie player tacked on. The HD2 (and other WM devices) are pocket computers with a phone tacked on.
A Nokia will need no tinkering and won't let you alter too much for that matter. It runs Symbian S60 5th Edition. A Windows Mobile device on the other hand.... complete opposite.
Any problems on the HD2 will be ironed out, either by HTC or by the guys on this forum who should work for HTC!
The number of times I've gone to work and had someone say look at my new LG "This", Samsung "That" or Nokia N97 and I say "Nice phone" and carry on my business. Then they say "Yeah it is... look it can do this, this and that...". I let them show off the phone, then hit them with my souped up Diamond and they go "Ohhhh..... Ahhhhhh....Woooowww!!!!!"
Then they say "That's too much for me, I could never use it!" lol Good luck, and I hope you choose what's best for you.
EDIT - Just noticed your phone list... it's quite varied and am a little surprised you asked the question! HD2 it is then...
SOLRAC13 said:
I guess you are one of the lucky ones, me too I bought mine before xtmas.
Have you try taking picture of a white page ??? Do you notice a pinkish color in the center ?
Can you type 10 words with out faults ?
Has your phone Died? eg leaving it at night and next day he is just dead ?
Can you view an excel file in ful page, something that should be easy since both applications are MW yet Iphone does it why Leo cant ?
Are you sure there are no sms in your out box ? go in Traditional mode and check it out.
And sound while in a call is to loud, that ends up cronhing in your ears and can hear your own voice on ECHO.
Please take a look in XDA treads many people are talking about it since November
Ps I would love to be one of does who write nice things of there devise but in my case is impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well mine has a slight pink blur when I take a pic of a white wall, but I don't do that normally, so I can't see it when I take a normal pic.
I can type very efficiently on the onscreen keyboard and very rarely make mistakes (I probably make less mistakes that I do on a real keyboard).
My phone has never "died" overnight, or any other time.
I can't really answer the excel issue, as I never use it on my phone, but that's nothing to do with the HD2, and that's what this thread is about. Get on to Microsoft for issues with their software, not the phone manufacturers.
My SMS messages get sent 100% of the time, and since I know the SMS sending problem can be sporadic, I regularly check the outbox and sent box so that I'm sure it's not happening to me.
The sound quality whilst in a call is perfect on my phone. It's exactly the same type of quality I've had on every phone I've ever had, so there's really nothing to report there.
As far as reading other threads to see what problems there are, you really need to remember that people (for the most part) only start threads when they have issues, in the hope that someone will be able to resolve them. If it seems like the majority of posts are about faults, then it is because there's not many people creating threads to say "nothing wrong with my phone". That's just the nature of forums, especially ones with a support style user base, like this.
Please remember that the people who have no problems are actually the majority. If someone comes on here and says that they do not have problems with their phone, it doesn't mean that they're saying you don't.
If you're that displeased with it, you should return it as faulty. You just make it worse for yourself by keeping it when it obviously makes you unhappy.
SOLRAC13 said:
I guess you are one of the lucky ones, me too I bought mine before xtmas.
Have you try taking picture of a white page ??? Do you notice a pinkish color in the center ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if there is a slight pink hue as some people are getting, you would never notice this in a standard picture. But no I do not have a pink hue when taking a picture of a white piece of paper
Can you type 10 words with out faults ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can type a whole message without faults. Of course its going to make mistakes the first few times but it learns your words so the more you type the better it will become at predicting.
Has your phone Died? eg leaving it at night and next day he is just dead ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery isnt great with the 1.43 stock rom but with 1.48 upwards and all custom roms its alot longer and I only get about 2 or 3% drop overnight.
Can you view an excel file in ful page, something that should be easy since both applications are MW yet Iphone does it why Leo cant ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cant really answer this as I only view pdf and word files on my HD2 and can view both perfectly in full screen.
Are you sure there are no sms in your out box ? go in Traditional mode and check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sms working fine for me.
And sound while in a call is to loud, that ends up cronhing in your ears and can hear your own voice on ECHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound is crystal clear when in a call, just turn the volume down and its perfectly acceptable.
Please take a look in XDA treads many people are talking about it since November
Ps I would love to be one of does who write nice things of there devise but in my case is impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are experiencing all those faults then you should send it back under warranty for replacement.
Hello guys. As you can see I'm a happy user of X8 but I'm interested in buying Xperia Play late August but I don't know anyone who owns this phone to eventually borrow it for a day or two and I don't want to be disappointed after the purchase. I can say that I'm addicted to games and IMHO this phone is just perfect for me. I have watched many revisions and read many articles about this phone but still I'm not so sure if I will be happy. I need YOUR opinion, dear Users so I want to ask You some questions:
1. Is this phone good? Will I be happy?
2. Have You found something You aren't happy with?
3. Are all of these PSone games working well?
4. What about battery usage? X8 lasts for one stupid day of normal usage...
5. Is the gingerbread satisfying? I mean is it fast and reliable?
6. Is the screen brightness good? I've heard that the auto-brightness pisses off is it true?
7. What about the pirces of the exclusives? (NOVA 2, GOF 2, Minecraft etc.)
8. Any other things you want to share with me to convince me to buy this beauty?
best regards
1.It is a good phone.
2.yes,NO zoom ,a lot of bloatware (when i bought the phone 200 mb out of 400mb where already used)
3.I have Tetris and Crash and they work smooth -no problems but it's a problem with buying games -stupid ps region ...
3.1 The rest of the games work good and have good graphics
4.Depends ... If you play non-stop a game that has over 150 mb you can make it last max 3 hours ,if it's idle it can last 2-3 days without recharge.
5.Here I can't really answer because this is my first Android phone so I started directly with gingerbread and has minor bugs...and sometimes slow on activating/deactivating stuff like Wi-Fi ,bluetooth ,Mobile networks.
6.The screen brightness is good and the auto-brigtness rarely kicks in so I'm not bothered .
7.Kind of expencive for me,but there are always some offers from gameloft(sometimes you get a free full game like Asphalt 6,Rainbow 6)
8.It's big and heavy and after 2 hours of playing your hands will go numb and if you are attacked by someone you can use the phone to protect yourself.
and It boots very very slow...around 2-3 mins
Forget everything. If your a gamer this is your phone period.
Sent from my R800a using XDA Premium App
sdlaurin said:
Forget everything. If your a gamer this is your phone period.
Sent from my R800a using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, pretty much
if your a gamer you will forgive whatever short comings this phone has
Ok, thank you for the info
I will share my experience with you in this post after buying this beauty
See ya!
romcio47 said:
Hello guys. As you can see I'm a happy user of X8 but I'm interested in buying Xperia Play late August but I don't know anyone who owns this phone to eventually borrow it for a day or two and I don't want to be disappointed after the purchase. I can say that I'm addicted to games and IMHO this phone is just perfect for me. I have watched many revisions and read many articles about this phone but still I'm not so sure if I will be happy. I need YOUR opinion, dear Users so I want to ask You some questions:
1. Is this phone good? Will I be happy?
2. Have You found something You aren't happy with?
3. Are all of these PSone games working well?
4. What about battery usage? X8 lasts for one stupid day of normal usage...
5. Is the gingerbread satisfying? I mean is it fast and reliable?
6. Is the screen brightness good? I've heard that the auto-brightness ticks off is it true?
7. What about the pirces of the exclusives? (NOVA 2, GOF 2, Minecraft etc.)
8. Any other things you want to share with me to convince me to buy this beauty?
best regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1: The phone is great. I'm very hard to please with technology but I'm in love with this.
2: I wish the screen was a little brighter and you could disable automatic brightness. The internal memory could have a bit more available space, but after you root and de-bloat, it's better. Mine boots in about 15 seconds, too.
3: One word: FPSE. Don't bother with the PlayStation Pocket, FPSE is on a higher level.
4: Between quite a few phone calls and a few texts with a good deal of gaming, I was at 18% by 3:00 A.M. I took it off the charger at 8:00 A.M. the previous day.
5: Gingerbread is much better than Froyo for me.
6: See #2.
7: They aren't too bad. You're generally paying for high-quality games, so they're sometimes a few bucks more than the Android Market.
8: Buy it if you like games. If you don't, get something dual-core.
Got this beauty yesterday and I must say - I'm proud of it. This phone is just great, perfect, marvelous! Absolutely no lags while using it, perfect performance while playing games. I'm a little bit disappointed about LED place - is this a joke? LED integrated with lock/unlock key? Hah.
But there is something I just can't do for now - unlock the bootloader. My phone doesn't launch fastboot ;(
cheers for all of You devs/mods everyone and especially for users who wrote this quick reviews to convince me to buy this phone
Can't say nothing more but just - Thank You
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY 4G Review
"Bringing mobile smartphone gaming out of the touch-screen ghetto has never been better!"
The review's done, but I'm sure some tweaks could be made before it's truly complete.
Tell me what'cha think! Feel free to let me know if there's any extremely crucial things I neglected to mention.
I think you've been overly enthusiastic. You've failed to mention some shortcomings which may be important:
1) The device is meant to play games, but acquiring them is not something necessarily automatic. Gameloft, EA and others have been getting away with redirecting the user to their own stores and complicating the buying experience needlessly. And let's not forget the puny internal memory. The device is meant to play games, and the user is not supposed to go to XDA and find his hacks. Another jack-of-all-trades like the Samsung Galaxy S does have a lot of internal storage.
2) The device is meant to play PSX games (or so says Sony), but more than 6 months after it's out, there are none of those games for Verizon users and there are 6 (six, sechs, seis) games for the international ones. Let's not forget the absence of two shoulder buttons either. That shows that Sony wasn't taking the device seriously as for its retro-gaming experience.
3) The buttons were all designed and placed by a drugged monkey throwing darts at a drawing. The power button, which you actually should be able to access without looking at the device, is etched in, making it hard to find. And to make matters worse, the LED which is supposed to NOTIFY you of things is practically invisible, located there. The volume buttons are hard to press and barely indistinguishable. Did I mention you should be able to locate and distinguish them in the dark too, as you may be actually listening to music on your device?
The Play has the virtue of being a very lovable device: once you actually grab it, it's what you say, the jack-of-all-trades that many of us gamers have been dreaming of since we were little. Plus, the software side is good and it's been improving with time. Once it gets phased out with time we will fondly remember it and probably keep playing games on it because it plays them so flawlessly, and it will probably last us a lot of time because it does everything quite well. However, you need to spend time with it to know its beauties and get over its quirks. None of that is needed with the good old Galaxy S2, with its freaking gorgeous supercolored screen and its huge size and its super-fast everything.
Here is a six-month review which you may have read already, made by the great XperiaBlog team: http://www.xperiablog.net/2011/10/11/xperia-play-six-month-review/ As you can see, they're mostly in agreement with you, but there are other things to consider aside of how well it plays games and how all-around nice it is.
Logseman said:
I think you've been overly enthusiastic. You've failed to mention some shortcomings which may be important:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see how the general point of me being overly enthusiastic could be true because I am enthusiastic about it... but I most certainly did mention the puny 400MB memory (twice, by mistake - making one mention sound totally out of place) as well as the notification light (which I also re-iterated a number of times).
The PSX emulation is a good point, but without PS Suite even being here, I have nothing to judge except that "filler" PlayStation Pocket app that not every R800 version has/can use. I could state the lack of PS Suite, but that's along the same lines as judging an unborn child for not ensuring the future of a family's business.
BTW, the lack of 2 triggers has already been accounted for... I'm sure you've seen the option of putting L2/R2 on the screen that PlayStation Pocket has (very effective IMO) and probably just didn't remember though.
Market division is also a good point - but that's not really something I can blame on the Xperia PLAY. It's EA and Gameloft's decision to fragment the market and that applies to all Android devices that can play their games. If anything, bringing that up would easily turn into a pro instead of a con since Xperia PLAY's Game Launcher congregates all that into one so that getting to the external markets is made just a bit simpler.
Still though, good stuff... I already have some ideas for changes.
Logseman said:
2) The device is meant to play PSX games (or so says Sony), but more than 6 months after it's out, there are none of those games for Verizon users and there are 6 (six, sechs, seis) games for the international ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a small correction, in Europe there are 10 (ten, zehn, dez) PSX games available:
Cool Boarder 2
Destruction Derby
Jumping Flash
MediEvil
Syphon Filter
Kula World
Everybody's Golf 2
Jet Rider
Syphon Filter 3
WipEout
Excellent review! I'm glad you recognized how awesome this phone is, but I feel like the GPS should have been more prominent. I mean, the Xperia Play has the best in-phone GPS I've ever used. I get a lock within seconds.
Once again great job on the review!
Two more quick things it seems, everyone else left off as shortcomings:
1. Finger prints on the screen: I had a Droid 1, wife has a Droid2 and 3 AND my Xperia seems to be the worst when it comes to fingerprints by far. I remember reading some early review a while back that also said the same thing. It seems the glass is missing some coating?
2. The 4 Android buttons do NOT light up!!
I still think this is horrible and can't believe Sony let this one leave the factory like this. AND to top things off, the buttons are placed next too each other. So in the dark NOT only can you not tell what button is which, u can't even see where one button starts and the other ends.
Yes, otherwise the review was very nice and I really need to check out that "hack" to move more apps to the SD card. The 400mb is another ridiculous thing.
PS: My last big dig is this one:
I love my phone as I assume all of you Xperia Play users do. BUT one of my biggest fears is that there is no follow-up.....where dose that leave us? The people that clearly love to be able to play games on our phones with physical buttons. Carrying around our old, deactivated (as a cell phone) WiFi only Xperia Play to use to play games. I really think Sony had something here but definitely fouled it up. From coming out in the US and the world 3 to 6 months later than it should to poor marketing to, still in my opinion, few games. Honestly, I still can not believe how big of a sales disappointment this phone has become. I was really expecting this phone to take off!!! It really had a niche and not just another iPhone wannabee copy. If you disagree I ask you two questions:
1. Have you ever actually seen/ met in person anyone else who has one?
2. Not every Verizon store carried the phone even when it was newer. (This was back in July)
Sad, I know.....
I haven't had a chance to read any of the reviews yet, but did anyone note that the buttons are way too hard to press without activating something on the screen due to the very small gap? I installed an Otterbox Commuter case which puts a ridge around the bottom so now it's almost impossible for me to press a key without also tapping on the screen. It was already difficult enough without the case but you could at least take note and be careful. Now I keep accidentally deleting email and such while I'm DELIBERATELY trying to avoid touching the screen!
I don't know what some of you are complaining about tbh, the only problem with the buttons is why did they bother putting a search button on it? Who actualy uses the search button?
And the fingerprint thing, I don't know if it's all models, but you realise there's a screen protector on it, right?
The only problem I haven't seen mentioned is the auto-rotate is abit to eager for a phone that big. Using it one handed and trying to press something on the left side of the screen often ends with the whole thing rotating when I don't want it to.
shiftylock said:
Excellent review! I'm glad you recognized how awesome this phone is, but I feel like the GPS should have been more prominent. I mean, the Xperia Play has the best in-phone GPS I've ever used. I get a lock within seconds.
Once again great job on the review!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! And now that you mention it, the GPS is quite a bit snappier than it is on any other device I've used... then again, only ones I've used are the Xperia X10, my dad's Archos 500GB and my bro's Motorola Atrix.
It's made even a bit better because the original FW's had some serious connection issues. I had WiFi and GPS connection issues all the time, but 2.3.4 seems to just make everything absolutely badass.
The Alpha Gamer said:
The only problem I haven't seen mentioned is the auto-rotate is abit to eager for a phone that big. Using it one handed and trying to press something on the left side of the screen often ends with the whole thing rotating when I don't want it to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I notice that a bit too when trying to browse the net in bed. Sounds a bit nitpicky and it definitely isn't a dealbreaker, but just for the sake of my review not being just raw, unstoppable praise, I might find some way to work that in
The Alpha Gamer said:
Who actualy uses the search button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do
It's a bit easier for me when searching the market, it quickly leads you to the "Xperia PLAY Optimized" search results of the market when you're in the Xperia PLAY Game Launcher, and you can tie a long-press function to it (if you're one of the people who care about stuff like voice controlling your phone while driving with Vlingo).
the Xperia play has its flaws, but I personally love the device and it will last me another year before I invest in newer devices.
TheCraig said:
the Xperia play has its flaws, but I personally love the device and it will last me another year before I invest in newer devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the rate it's getting games, I'm definitely gonna be interested more than a year
I was originally gonna go for raw power, but now that I have this phone in a place where I can measure and compare against my friends that have the Atrix, EVO 3D and Galaxy S2... Xperia PLAY, with it's Adreno-accelerated single-core is running Dead Space and Samurai II: Vengeance just as smoothly as the *top-tier* phones. Sorta makes me wonder what the point of all that power is.
TLRtheory said:
At the rate it's getting games, I'm definitely gonna be interested more than a year
I was originally gonna go for raw power, but now that I have this phone in a place where I can measure and compare against my friends that have the Atrix, EVO 3D and Galaxy S2... Xperia PLAY, with it's Adreno-accelerated single-core is running Dead Space and Samurai II: Vengeance just as smoothly as the *top-tier* phones. Sorta makes me wonder what the point of all that power is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I remember in July/August it had about half the games it has right now, Gameloft are optimizing one of their games at least once a month now, Xperia play is almost a year old and only now its getting good games.
The Alpha Gamer said:
Who actualy uses the search button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use long pressing on the search button to pull up Quickdesk which I really like for multitasking.
You're right that I don't use the search button for anything else, but that's why it's a perfect shortcut key for Quickdesk. I would be sad if there was no search button
Totally read this title as "After 5 MINUTES of ownership..." Hahaha. Oops! Anyway, I think anyone who has an Xplay loves the crap out of it. It's a shame more people aren't picking it up, it's truly the ultimate device, even if just for the emulator/gamepad duo amazingness alone! I love this phone so dang much.
OK, so I've now read your real-world usage reviews and I have to ask: Did neither of you guys notice the complete lack of a timer or notes application?
With no prior Android experience and coming from the perspective as a long-time iOS user who is also very critical of iOS, I considered it a shortcoming of Android to have no base functionality to compare to such basic tasks for a smartphone.
Now, what's with the lack of features that they promote on their website? They once promoted a 3D Panorama image capture function but they killed it for some reason and edited it out of the feature list online. I suspect that this is due to the faulty/erratic motion sensor problems. I noticed last week on the same feature list that they were still promoting a screen capture tool activated by the power button when, even after updating, there was no such function. After mentioning it on their forums, there is now a "To enjoy this feature, you may need to update your phone software." message under it and another feature that isn't there yet even with the most current update: Gesture input function. The Verizon version has that message on an additional feature: The front facing camera with various video chat support.
I also find some of the "optimized" games have TERRIBLE default controls for it. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a good example. Download the demo and just try aiming with the virtual analog sticks and you'll right back to using the infinitely-better touch screen in disgust. Perhaps some mention could be made of it? Shadowgun isn't much better.
Erikwithafro said:
Totally read this title as "After 5 MINUTES of ownership..." Hahaha. Oops! Anyway, I think anyone who has an Xplay loves the crap out of it. It's a shame more people aren't picking it up, it's truly the ultimate device, even if just for the emulator/gamepad duo amazingness alone! I love this phone so dang much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what tells me that there must be something seriously wrong with mine.
Everything I did would hang, FC, crash, or chug. Even emulators were a problem. I just exchanged it so we'll see how things go.
You see, you have been a victim of AT&T, and of poor marketing. We R800i owners have screenshots, a proper front-facing camera and so on. No 3D panorama, of course, we didn't expect it with our crappy camera.
By the way, the lack of a default timer and notes app (among others which ch are natively offered in iOS) is something paradigmatic. It means that you can download them yourself. If you have seen some Android forums, you may have found many people who are developing ROMs and content which wipes most of the phone's default applications. People don't necessarily value what comes with the phone.
Nice review the play is getting better with all the new games.
SE have also supported their whole XPERIA line extremely well I say they have come from being the worst to the best .
Don't worry anout some of the critics of your review no phone is perfect, this is a very good first attempt at a gaming SmartPhone. Lets hope SE make a sequel.
ministroni said:
I use long pressing on the search button to pull up Quickdesk which I really like for multitasking.
You're right that I don't use the search button for anything else, but that's why it's a perfect shortcut key for Quickdesk. I would be sad if there was no search button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe, I actually use it for Auto Rotate Switch off app. I find the Xplay to rotate way too often if I tilt it just a little bit. Gets annoying at times.
Oh god I love my play so much. I thought about getting the galaxy nexus!! But no SD card slot no dice I have a 32 gb card won't let it collect dust.
Sent from my R800i using XDA App
enerp8 said:
Just a small correction, in Europe there are 10 (ten, zehn, dez) PSX games available:
Cool Boarder 2
Destruction Derby
Jumping Flash
MediEvil
Syphon Filter
Kula World
Everybody's Golf 2
Jet Rider
Syphon Filter 3
WipEout
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can anyone confirm that its possible to purchases these if you change the market's region or are will still stuck with it recognizing US hardware revisions?
Got my HTC One yesterday and wow i thought this is one good looking phone, fired up quadrant and saw the score rocket up to 12500 whilst my s3 was just finishing the test with a score of 6300, all is well, camera is great, UI is a little bland rows and columns are a bit too big for my liking but i thought i'd hang in there, then the back button breaks, literally would take no input at all (this is on a phone about half an hour old) so swapped it for another brand new one and the back button is working again.
Next day (today) i installed real racing 3 and six axis app (after rooting of course) and went to set up the pad for a game, HTC has messed up with the bluetooth drivers again, no six axis.
Real racing 3 runs on very high settings perfectly, however there is one problem, the phone gets so hot i actually felt uncomfortable holding it, it was so hot i couldn't continue playing any more. I had noticed that it was a little hot when simply browsing but gaming just sent it into boil mode.
On a contract for £46 a month and for two years, these issues will make me hate this phone, so tomorrow morning i will be getting this cancelled and never going back to HTC again, unless they sort these issues in the future (something i highly doubt)
I'd missed HTC after being with Sammy for the last year but i'd forgotten about the silly things that HTC does like the bluetooth drivers and how could i forget them removing the code for the CRT effect?
Won't be getting the S4 either as it's probably only going to be the quad with the adreno gpu, which is why i went for the HTC in the first place.
Sad times.
Think i'll be giving my S3 another whirl and sticking with it until something actually groundbreaking surfaces.
I know to some that these issues might not be that bad but for me it's too much of a pain to live with.
first : do you have scientific proof that the six axis is not working, or the app is not optimized to work with the six axis?
second : real racing is a high demand game, it's only natural for the phone to heat up. try playing on the nexus 10, u have a chest warmer for winter
third : so crt effect is a deal breaker for you? then it's your problem. go back to samsung, dont buy htc. end of story
keywords : VERY HIGH SETTINGS.
and your skin is probably baby skin, browsing is WARM, not HOT. there's a difference between WARM and HOT. and u mentioned hot to the point u cant hold it anymore? samsung fanboy exaggeration
good thing the most intensive games i play are GBA emulators and Candy Crush Saga, I'll love this phone.
Hmmm..
The overheating issue is good to know about. That has to be my pet peeve with any handheld device. Either way, I never judge a phone by it's stock firmware. I would flash a nightly build and see how the phone handles it, overall I think we can all agree that the hardware is fantastic. HTC's software isn't mandatory.
PapaRhino said:
good thing the most intensive games i play are GBA emulators and Candy Crush Saga, I'll love this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly, nobody, else 15% of the community plays super high demand games on their phones. phones are just for everyday convenience ; browsing, small time entertainment, calls, sms, etc. those high end games are designed for tablets.
tell me which is better off, playing crysis 3 on your phone at work or playing it at home after work?
some people just dont get it
shiningarmor said:
first : do you have scientific proof that the six axis is not working, or the app is not optimized to work with the six axis?
second : real racing is a high demand game, it's only natural for the phone to heat up. try playing on the nexus 10, u have a chest warmer for winter
third : so crt effect is a deal breaker for you? then it's your problem. go back to samsung, dont buy htc. end of story
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow u are an arse aren't you!
First of all, i don't need scientific proof that the six axis app doesn't work, it is to do with the bluetooth HID protocol that HTC favours, it has always been this way with phones with HTC sense, probably always will.
Secondly, I am fully aware that Real racing 3 is a high demand game, partly the reason me playing it on a high performance device, the phone should not get that hot, i have an s3 which runs the game just as well, even the One X runs it well without getting as hot as this one did, i know whats acceptable and whats not.
And lastly, i didn't say that not having CRT is a deal breaker alone, i said that it's one of the many things that HTC has done that has caused me to send this lump of crap back to the shop and get my contract cancelled.
I didn't come on here to argue with anyone, i don't even know you and your comment is just rude, don't blindly defend the HTC one you probably bought because you're attempting to justify the price you paid for it, it's making you looks like a ****.
For me these are issues i can't be dealing with and i put this up here so that anyone thinking of getting this phone is aware of the problems that i had and can take them into consideration.
Plus i'm not a fan boy either, check my history and you'll see that i've been with HTC since the beginning of their android reign, and i don't have baby soft hands either lol, what are you on? I've been a roofer before and worked in construction for a long time, tell me anyone who's hands are baby soft when they've been lumping slates up onto a roof for a few years.
I've paid for high end games because i wanted to, i bought the phone because it's capable of running any of them. My choice, not my fault the phone can't chill out.
dladz said:
Wow u are an arse aren't you!
First of all, i don't need scientific proof that the six axis app doesn't work, it is to do with the bluetooth HID protocol that HTC favours, it has always been this way with phones with HTC sense, probably always will.
you seem so sure, can you actually provide proof? if you can, then everyone will be notified of the issue instead of "it's just you" issue
Secondly, I am fully aware that Real racing 3 is a high demand game, partly the reason me playing it on a high performance device, the phone should not get that hot, i have an s3 which runs the game just as well, even the One X runs it well without getting as hot as this one did, i know whats acceptable and whats not.
like you said, you love to root and flash roms and kernels. custom kernels are leagues ahead of stock kernels. tried running RR3 with stock kernel on the s3 and one x? you phone will melt. dont ask me why, because i own a one x and im using it now, playing candy crush saga melts the phone.
And lastly, i didn't say that not having CRT is a deal breaker alone, i said that it's one of the many things that HTC has done that has caused me to send this lump of crap back to the shop and get my contract cancelled.
one of the many things? then i stand up to my point. just go back to samsung. we dont need people like you to demotivate potential buyers
I didn't come on here to argue with anyone, i don't even know you and your comment is just rude, don't blindly defend the HTC one you probably bought because you're attempting to justify the price you paid for it, it's making you looks like a ****.
i've mentioned this on another thread. what i say is merely based according to what people REALLY uses in a smartphone. not in the minority who plays crysis 3 (exaggeration) on their phone and uses their phone as a server and etc.
For me these are issues i can't be dealing with and i put this up here so that anyone thinking of getting this phone is aware of the problems that i had and can take them into consideration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
based on my observation, you are the only one who complains the phone gets too hot to hold, others are saying slightly warm. to strengthen your point, care to post some battery temperatures so that we may deem whether it is too hot or normal? not that it's a burden since you are rooted
Mod u can close this thread if you like, apparently my opinion which is based upon one days usage isn't something that people want to hear? Perhaps a few days with the phone themselves will open their shut eyes.
I never wanted to cause a flame war here, just wanted to help someone dodge a bullet that i took previously.
closed on OP's request.
Additionally having one for myself I can also NOT acknowledge the heat-claims the OP makes here.