Database Users

HTC Desire, HD, Z series vs. Samsung Galaxy S series

Never had an Android phone before but plenty of WM ons, (see sig) but feel time is right to jump OS. Desire and Galaxy S seem to be the best 2 around for uk users.
Looking at the specs nearly everything about this phone seems better than the Desire
Pros:
Bigger screen
Super Amoled
Faster CPU
Better GPU (has Desire got one?)
TV-out
8GB Internal memory
720p recording
Good camera (even without the flash it seems to take pretty impressive photos/videos)
Cons:
Froyo update (officially yes, but when? Samsung past record doesn't inspire confidence)
Likelyhood of further Android OS updates (such as gingerbread)
Could people who have experience of both please comment on the general speed of the 2 devices. Is the Galaxy faster in real life doing most things,
especially web browsing (including flash video) and playing videos from MicroSD card.
I would be running these apps if I get an android phone:
Slingplayer
Skyfire
Opera mini
myPlayer
Are there any apps/ anything else which isn't working on the Galaxy which runs o.k. on the Desire.
Thanks in advance.

I have both the phones & a Dell Streak up until yesterday. All those apps you listed work fine on both devices except Slingplayer which I don't know about as I don't use it.
I'm having problems with the web brower of the Galaxy in that when I click on a link the web browser shuts down & returns to the home screen. Also I can change the UA string to set the browser to show desktop version but it won't stay. I've already exchanged one unit & the second one still does it.
I use a well known porn site (ahem, testing purposes only :wink) to test the flash & have to say the Galaxy plays the clips without a hitch (though not super smooth) but the Desire just plays the sound, no video.
On specs alone the Galaxy pisses all over the Desire but in actual use there's not much in it. For sure the Galaxy screen is better & the speaker is much louder & better sounding than the Desire but the Desire feels better quality & I prefer the physical buttons.
The Galaxy will be returned for refund tomorrow because my 7 days are up, but I would probably choose it over the Desire if not for the web browser issues.

Thanks for that Zen123.
Probably sensible to wait till Froyo is officially out on Desire and more info about when it will be on the Galaxy but it won't be easy.

I have both.
Galaxy S pros:
Much better at graphics intensive tasks
Better sound quality, output volume
Better music player with EQ
DivX etc out of the box
TV Out (cable + DLNA)
WiFi tether
1.8GB of storage for app installation
More storage with inbuilt storage
Better screen - not only size and display characteristics but also touch and multitouch (most important for gaming, but not entirely irrelevant elsewhere)
Better loudspeaker
Better battery life
Desire pros:
General operation speed is better
GameBoid works
Widget selection is much, much, better
Hardware keys
Better build quality
Browser is better in terms of function, but the extra 0.3inches of the Galaxy negate that advantage for me
HTC music player works with LastFM, Galaxy's doesn't
Off the top of my head those would be the main things.

NZtechfreak, interesting you mention Desire is quicker generally. The difference in browser functionality? Don't they have the same browser?

Got both:
And like the other say both phones are realy nice, but if i had to chose one i would go for the Galaxy. Why?
Galaxy:
Better screen, colors and most off all i can see it better in sunlight.
Ok, it had a small bit off lagg for me when i did open DialPad, but after i got a task killer no more lagg there. Other then that i have not notice lagg in apps/programs like some other have been notice.
Battery last longer on Galaxy then on desire, and that is importent for one like myself.
And like some say they like the build Quality on desire more, i cant say that is wrong But i quite like Galaxy even i guess some should say it is litle "plastic", feeling on it, it is damn light in the pocket.
And if we talk "Root" if both both device use custom roms and the the right chefs make them, Galaxy will be a monster with a custom rom made for it
the other standard things i did see they had already write in other posts here

I had the desire first, returned it and went with the SGS. Why?
-The screen is obviously better, bigger while not too big (in my opinion ofc) and properly registers multitouch (desire has problems when you cross axis with 2 fingers, not a problem in normal usage but very annoying when you try to play a game with 'joysticks' on screen).
Edit: The S-amoled also seems to solve some of the pentile problems I found using my desire, like pink colours where gray shoud be.
-Camera quality is slightly better, however the lack of flash sucks, I enjoyed using the flash as a flashlight.
-The media player is just amazing. Goodbye converters, hello divx playback . Seriously though, it allows me to save 10's of GB on my desktop's harddrive, space I had to use to store those converted files before.
-Audio quality is top-notch, way better than the desire. It also simulates 5.1 playback and plays very HQ music (my flac library sounds better than ever).
-The GPU. You can actually play a game like asphalt on this, while on the Desire the game hangs constantly.
-Storage (this is only for android 2.1 ofc, but this might still be very important during the next couple of months). If you want to keep a few good games on the Desire at the same time, you will need to root/a2sd. Otherwise you WILL run out of storage. On the SGS, you have more than 10 times the app space.
Now with that said, the Desire has it's perks as well, like the sense ui (it's a lot more elegant than touchwiz), tweaked browser with flash Lite and the overall better experience (I feel the Galaxy S has a tendency to slow down over time, while I didn't have this experience on the Desire, might be that I play more games on the SGS tho).
However, I do feel samsung is putting a lot of effort in this phone and I really believe that we're gonna see some good firmware tweaks very soon. The fact that they are offering some quality apps with the phone, like the tweaked layar version, and the "samsung app store" which offers free stuff like the full asphalt game (which costs 5€ in the gameloft store).

Assuming that the Galaxy S is released on T-Mobile UK, this is going to have to be a decision I make as well. I was going to go for the Desire, but since hearing about the Galaxy S I've all but decided to go for that instead. Just a pity the build quality isn't so good, it has a PenTile screen and it doesn't have a flash (though that's a minor complaint) - pity that there isn't a high-end Android phone available without any real drawbacks!
A bit puzzling that it would seem slower than the Desire when the hardware should be as good or better - that must be software, and software's fixable, hopefully.

TMobile UK seem to have confirmed that its coming next month

I'm currently using HTC Hero, but thinking of getting the SGS.
The GUI is a big turn off for me. But like on the Hero, i'm using Launcherpro from the Market. And i'm hoping this would also work on this phone.
Have anyone testet if it works on SGS?
See no reason why it shouldnt
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-fede-launcher-Ezxp.aspx

Running launcherpro here on the SGS, works fine. You can still use the samsung notification bar functions like enabling wifi/bluetooth and setting ringer volume and brightness while using it. Combined with the fancy widget, it looks very nice.

Cooki3s said:
Running launcherpro here on the SGS, works fine. You can still use the samsung notification bar functions like enabling wifi/bluetooth and setting ringer volume and brightness while using it. Combined with the fancy widget, it looks very nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Came in buckets. thnx is what i want to hear
Phone is now purchased online

The Desire and Galaxy S have the same amount of RAM, though I believe, not 100%, that the Galaxy S kernel is lacking High Mem support, which if it's anything like the Nexus prior to gaining the support, means it only has access to around 190MB of RAM. The HTC kernel has High Mem support iirc, which bumps accessable ram to 390MB or so.
The fact that the Galaxy S comes out of the box with flac support and wifi tether negates my major reasons for really needing root...but having root and switching between roms more times than I shower is all part of the fun!

LadFromWales85 said:
The Desire and Galaxy S have the same amount of RAM, though I believe, not 100%, that the Galaxy S kernel is lacking High Mem support, which if it's anything like the Nexus prior to gaining the support, means it only has access to around 190MB of RAM. The HTC kernel has High Mem support iirc, which bumps accessible ram to 390MB or so.
The fact that the Galaxy S comes out of the box with flac support and wifi tether negates my major reasons for really needing root...but having root and switching between roms more times than I shower is all part of the fun!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meaning? where is the rest of the RAM being used at (if your claim is right)?

So the verdict is the SGS is better than the HTC Desire, basically..

Hi
I own both phones and the conclusion is ready. Galaxy I9000 is much better than nexus or desire. Very fast, sped, screen, games, internal storage, sound.. Is my point of view as developer for android

Flash question
I am slightly confused about the flash support for the 2 phones. If you read GSM arena review, they say Galaxy S doesn't have any, other than the youtube videos through a dedicated youtube player. HTC's own website says the Desire comes with flash support. They are both running Android 2.1.
What exactly does the stock Desire have in terms of flash, some version of flash lite? If so can't the Galaxy S be upgraded to the same level through installing an application?

Interested in Galaxy...or Desire
Currently running an iPhone 3GS . Was tempted(briefly) by the iPhone 4 , but not enough of an upgrade as far as Im concerned.
I must admit to loving my 3GS.OK the UI may be boring,but it does what its meant to do good enough.
Had never read anything about the Galaxy s until last night.I didnt even know Samsung made an Android phone!It does look really nice though.The screen looks great.
I have owned Samsung phones in the past, few years back now.And was always disappointed with volume.Is the Galaxy loud?If I leave the phone in my coat pocket downstairs am I going to struggle to hear it ring?(Not talking miles away here).
Also, the 3GS does feel like a quality bit of kit in the hand.Looks as good now as it did when I bought it 12 months ago.The build quality of the Samsung worries me slightly(from what I have read about it)

J-Hop2o6 said:
meaning? where is the rest of the RAM being used at (if your claim is right)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always thought this was something comparable to 64bit OSes, you just can't go above a certain amount (around 3.5gb, but for android 256mb) since the os doesnt support it. I guess it's a bit different with linux, but the comparison remains the same.
There was a line in the 2.2 features description on developer.android.com before, saying "HIMEM support, enabling access to more than 256mb of ram on devices", but I can't seem to be able to find it now.
Edit: http: //developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.2-highlights.html see platform highlights
billu said:
What exactly does the stock Desire have in terms of flash, some version of flash lite? If so can't the Galaxy S be upgraded to the same level through installing an application?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Desire has Flash lite 4, it's good enough to see some movies and some content like banners, but things like games and high quality/bandwidth movies are very sluggish.
Dunno if it can be ported that easily to the SGS, I think the browser needs to support it aswell, but not sure there.

camera photos comparison
can anyone post a photo(s) taken by these handsets (same object if possible)? will be upgrading tomorrow, and i feel these 2 handsets are pretty even for what i am after, the camera (photo & video) will be the deciding factor.... can anyone post pleeaaasssssseee??? i have less than 24 hours to decide!

Why smartphones suck

I have a Galaxy S from Bell. It was great for a while, but now its degraded into something barely above a brick. The lag is so bad that I can't answer phone calls sometimes because the screen is unresponsive.
I've had a few smart phones so far, original iPhone, iPhone 3G, Nexus One and now the Galaxy S. I really want to get away from the Galaxy S because of the combination of quality (ie. the complete lack of it) and the ridiculous timelines Samsung, and then carriers take to upgrade a handset to the latest version of android, if at all. But when I look at the options out there, they all suck.
The iPhone is decent, if you don't mind living in a walled garden. But I'd like a few more options than Apple is willing to provide such as removable battery, drag and drop files, something akin to native support of flac and divx/xvid. I really don't feel like playing my mp3s with one player and then flac with another. I also don't feel like converting movies to mp4, a standard which clearly sucks by virtue of the fact that no one would use it if apple didn't force them to.
With Android I have to deal with constantly waiting for the latest OS, usually 6 months or longer after Google has released it, and then it's been shat all over by the manufacturer and/or carrier. So that leaves pure Google phones, of which there's the Nexus One and the Nexus S.
I had the Nexus One, good phone, except for the screen. Constantly looking for shade so I can see the screen in the sun is a pain. The Nexus S fixes that, but no microSD slot? Are you f-ing kidding me? You couldn't put that in there? It's available on pretty much EVERY other smart phone that isn't the iPhone. And no 32GB option. Basically, it's a Nexus One with a curved screen (that may or may not introduce display issues according to Engadget). I mean, NFC? You give me NFC, but no microSD? I think running into a 16GB space barrier is going to happen way more often than me trying to share contact info with someone through NFC.
Can someone please make a phone that supports common media formats (mp3/flac/xvid/divx, etc), decent processor (dragons, birds, dogs, I don't care), a screen I can see in sunlight and either 32GB non expandable or better yet a microSD slot. Stick a camera on there if you feel like it. I don't even care if there's a front facing camera, because no one is walking around making video calls.
Smartphones suck.

What about installibg jpu?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

The lag shouldn't be that bad, I used the phone for a while with no lagfix and it wasn't that bad.
Do a factory reset, and maybe even install the JPU firmware if you're willing. The lag is no longer a problem with JPU.
Maybe the upcoming LG Optimus 2X will finally give us a smartphone to beat all smartphones. Hard to imagine LG being much better than Samsung though.

wipe phone,
install JK4,
flash hardcore k10,
Done.
Stop being such a *****

guys is it a lag when ever after i install app from market and back to my home screen all the apps n widgets on the homescreen lost for a while and i need to wait a minute before all the apps and widgets on my homescreen to appear and running smooth????

nazrazr said:
guys is it a lag when ever after i install app from market and back to my home screen all the apps n widgets on the homescreen lost for a while and i need to wait a minute before all the apps and widgets on my homescreen to appear and running smooth????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rough english, but I think I understand.
Are you running 2.2? And what build?

I agree with the Nexus S having no micro SD slot comment you made. wtf WERE they thinking?
Seriously???

Legion6789 said:
I have a Galaxy S from Bell. It was great for a while, but now its degraded into something barely above a brick. The lag is so bad that I can't answer phone calls sometimes because the screen is unresponsive.
I've had a few smart phones so far, original iPhone, iPhone 3G, Nexus One and now the Galaxy S. I really want to get away from the Galaxy S because of the combination of quality (ie. the complete lack of it) and the ridiculous timelines Samsung, and then carriers take to upgrade a handset to the latest version of android, if at all. But when I look at the options out there, they all suck.
The iPhone is decent, if you don't mind living in a walled garden. But I'd like a few more options than Apple is willing to provide such as removable battery, drag and drop files, something akin to native support of flac and divx/xvid. I really don't feel like playing my mp3s with one player and then flac with another. I also don't feel like converting movies to mp4, a standard which clearly sucks by virtue of the fact that no one would use it if apple didn't force them to.
With Android I have to deal with constantly waiting for the latest OS, usually 6 months or longer after Google has released it, and then it's been shat all over by the manufacturer and/or carrier. So that leaves pure Google phones, of which there's the Nexus One and the Nexus S.
I had the Nexus One, good phone, except for the screen. Constantly looking for shade so I can see the screen in the sun is a pain. The Nexus S fixes that, but no microSD slot? Are you f-ing kidding me? You couldn't put that in there? It's available on pretty much EVERY other smart phone that isn't the iPhone. And no 32GB option. Basically, it's a Nexus One with a curved screen (that may or may not introduce display issues according to Engadget). I mean, NFC? You give me NFC, but no microSD? I think running into a 16GB space barrier is going to happen way more often than me trying to share contact info with someone through NFC.
Can someone please make a phone that supports common media formats (mp3/flac/xvid/divx, etc), decent processor (dragons, birds, dogs, I don't care), a screen I can see in sunlight and either 32GB non expandable or better yet a microSD slot. Stick a camera on there if you feel like it. I don't even care if there's a front facing camera, because no one is walking around making video calls.
Smartphones suck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess its time for you to change your phone and move on to a less smarter phone.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

fulcrum1971 said:
Guess its time for you to change your phone and move on to a less smarter phone.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice said, thants what i fought then I looked at this thread
+1
Sent from my bad-ass i9000

BlackDino said:
rough english, but I think I understand.
Are you running 2.2? And what build?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sory English is not my 1st language and rarely spoken...heeeee
I am running Froyo 2.2 JPO not lag fix....is it has something to do with it?

yes flash jpu and never look back, no lagfix needed.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

Docs JPU Rom, voodoo lagfix. Nuff said.
If you are *****ing about it so much and can't sort the issues you should go back to an iphone so Steve can tell you how you should use your phone.

It's not about my technical ability to apply a rom or a lagfix. It's a.) I shouldn't have to, I'm not trying to do something with the phone that the manufacturer didn't intend, and therefore I shouldn't have to apply these things; b.) The only reason I haven't done those things is because I've read on these forums that a lot of people have had the internal sd card fail after flashing, and don't feel like leaving my phone with Bell for 6 weeks for repair. Although at this point, the phone's performance is so abysmal the scale is tipping.
And Bynar, why the implication that I'm some apple fan boy, did I not say that I also didn't like the iPhone? I like how I'm somehow not worthy of a galaxy s if I don't relish the idea of flashing roms and lagfixes just to answer the phone when it rings.

+1 for this smart phone rant. I loved to read it. Some valid points
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Never had that kind of issue with my phone, im lucky to get a non laggy phone!
If you just use your phone for call why not just get a cheap throw around phone for that function?

I've been using SGS from bell since october with original JH2, no lagfix and haven't got massive lag so many are talking about.
Using JK4 since 2 weeks and it's even more fluid. No lagfix what so ever...battery holds up couple of days, no FC, no lags (installing apps is realy fast compared to JH2), I reboot the thing now and then and that's it.
Only thing I did, when I got the device, I had to hard reset the thing then worked great. Same thing when I got JK4, Hard reset before and after.
On the other hand, I use the thing as it is: a pretty descent sum of many technologies. Great gaming, but not as a standalone gaming platform; great camera but not as a high end standalone camera; good GPS but not as good as hi end standalone GPS; it's pretty fast but not as much as a standalone computer; great browsing but not as much as on a computer...
Catch my drift? If you want something that can do everything and still hold on your hand, smartphone are great. But as a cost... If you want blasing fast like on a Core i7 laptop, get a core i7 laptop!

I'm not looking for Core i7 in a smartphone, just enough performance listen to music and watch movies in formats like xvid and flac. The galaxy s can do this with the caveats that with my handset in particular it lags so badly that at times I can't answer the phone and it hiccups during flac playback. Both of these issues I believe are due to problems with the internal sd card.

No it's not, I can do all those things easy with mine.
When I run with the device, I have Mp3 playing over bluetooth stereo player (controls works fine alors), sporty pal, Tracker booster and I can receive call (or make em' when I hit the right button on my earphones)
My advice: Hard reset+clear all thoses caches in recovery mode then reinstall everything one by one.

Legion6789
Agree with most of your points, rather I believe these phones sound better if called 'Tech' phones.The major letdowns for me is the software within than the hardware.
How 'smart' are they when they don't do the basic intended function Out of the box reliably ...24X7X365....without rooting/lagfixing/modding..(wow lost track of these........ ).
Google may market android as 'Open, mk dir android;cd android....' and so on but how many consumers would want to do that and how many hardware OEM's would allow them to.
Android for me, is way below the hype and hoped and has to evolve beyond the 'Google' syndrome. Has a long way to go.
Having seen all the so called 'smart' OS out there, the iOS, RIM, Maemo 5, Android, Symbian .... I don't see much light in each of them.
The closest I could sense a potential was maemo 5, but the creator screwed it up with a ugly hardware and dropping it mid way for Meego...Would have to wait and see.
Now as a true 'consume'r...our choices have to be made on compromises that no perfect thing exists and chug along and play our major role in this so called 'Smart phone revolution' as chief financiers ever exploring for the near perfect one.
Apple to me, tried creating the near perfect one but as highlighted by you they only succeeded in locking down users within the walled garden. But to give them credit, the iphone(3gs/4) creates a consistent,reliable experience within the constraints it has. (Have never experienced a 'lag' 'force close' or equivalent in my experience of 1 year)...hmm hate being called a 'fan' boy
So to put it in simple words, did the 'smart' phone make my life simpler...Yes in some aspects but at a very important downside 'Time'(or money)...
- the time taken to root,
- time taken to lagfix,
- time taken to track all the JPO/JP6/JPU...and don't know how many more releases,
- time taken to flash,
- time taken to follow XDA....
Oh all these in already crowded day to day life to make my 'Smart' phone being 'smarter' !

Legion6789 said:
I don't relish the idea of flashing roms and lagfixes just to answer the phone when it rings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's total exageration, and from my experience, far from fact.. I don't recall lag ever impacting my ability to make calls.
The iPhones also have numerous problems. And honestly, the lag isn't THAT bad in my opinion. It's possible to make any phone start swapping, and I can cause lag on my computer too. It would be nice if it was reduced though. It's still a very productive phone though.

[Q] Some questions about the Xperia Play

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!
---
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

Desire HD: One-year review / my first year using Android

This is my attempt to review the phone after a year (and a bit) of use. It may seem pointless to review a phone that is at least a generation old, but I think what I have to say gives some insight into HTC as a manufacturer, and Android as a whole. These are also the sorts of things that can't be understood from using a phone for a few hours. I'll also cover Sense in part.
I'll start by listing everything that has annoyed or just disappointed me over the last 13 months.
Battery life
One of my major worries with Android as a whole (and by extension, all smartphones and the direction the market is heading): it is just not acceptable for a phone to not last a whole working day on moderate use (which for me is: about 2 hours web browsing and listening to music, a few text messages and emails). There are ways to avoid this happening (and the question should be, if users can do things to improve the battery, why don't they come out of the
factory that way?) but the fact is that a phone that requires the user to tinker extensively to get a day's reasonable use is not well designed. The trade-off is a thinner, lighter phone. Well, it's not worth it. Consumers are being hoodwinked into desiring crazy thin handsets before the technology is really there to support them. Ever-faster specs are the other side of this sorry tale. Phone software shouldn't need dual-core phones running at above 1Ghz, with 1gig of RAM. WP7 and iOS show this.
Build quality: I've had several serious problems caused by the hardware:
The battery cover - everyone knows about this. It is possible to remove it, and reinstall it, but it's difficult - and it just shouldn't be. That's all there is to it.
Volume rocker - the poor arrangement of the battery cover and the volume rocker meant that when I tried to pull off the battery cover, I broke off the top half of volume rocker. Luckily it still holds on and the volume control still works, but again - not good enough. The fact that there are packages of replacement volume rockers complete with the needed tools on Ebay show this is not limited to me and my clumsiness.
USB port - for no obvious reason, and very suddenly, the USB/charger port stopped working properly - no power was going to the phone. The main board and so the whole until had to be replaced. I'd not been rough with the connection. Which lead to...
GPS. One of my biggest disappointments. Although it worked reasonably well to begin with, when my internals were replaced because of the USB port failure, the internals must have been from the batch with the poorly connected GPS module. Everyone knows about this issue by now. I never ever ever get any GPS signal, no matter where I am or what the weather's like. Yes there are solutions, none of which worked for me, and I couldn't bare to be without my handset for another 7-14 days to get it repaired. Very poor.
HTC Sense
I've not found Sense to have any additional functionality that make it worth the resource overhead on top of Android. Really the only useful thing it does is linking contacts between my contacts and Facebook and Twitter (though this brings it's own problems, for instance forcefully importing a friend's outdated phone number from Facebook without giving me the option to choose the stored number instead). I've never been able to use the default Android calendar app because the Sense one replaces it, and I don't like the Sense one at all, it's quite unintuitive.
I find the extra chrome is not especially attractive, and doesn't make efficient use of space. It looks very mid-late 00s. So dumping Sense was one of the first things I did, first in favour of ADW Launcher and lately GO Launcher, for it's superb and beautiful widgets.
HTCSense.com - I've nearly forgotten what it did. Suffice to say, none of the services were useful enough or reliable (they didn't work at all for the first few months) to keep me coming back.
General Android issues
Music playing
There are many brilliant music-playing programs for Android. I've happily paid for two that I love using (PowerAmp and PlayerPro). Sadly, four years in, the experience of getting music onto an Android phone lags behind iPhone fundamentally. Spotify subscribers will call me a dinosaur for caring about this, but for those of us with large mp3 collections that they like to change up on their phones regularly, it's an unhappy experience. Technology
blogs would have you believe the iTunes/iPhone experience can be replicated, but my experience is that this just isn't true.
To give an overview of the problem (for anyone thinking of coming to Android and hoping to use their phone for playing music), here's my experience of using several Windows music management apps, and their limitations as a solution for managing Android devices.
DoubleTwist - marketed as iTunes for Android - laughable, and crushingly disappointing: ignoring slow performance and instability, not finding all files, misreading mp3 tags, all DoubleTwist does is sync a playlist to the phone (over Wi-Fi if you pay the upgrade). If you use iTunes, it will sync any playlist that you create in iTunes - but does anyone want to install iTunes if it's just to transfer music? I hate having it on my system. The main failing is that it has no easy way to select tracks to be transferred - they have to be added to a playlist. Unlike iTunes, you cannot tick or untick songs from the main library. If you want to remove a song from your phone, you have to find and then remove it from the appropriate playlist. Which is far more time consuming. No developers of music management software for Windows seem to understand this. The same problem applies to Winamp, Songbird, MediaMonkey, all of which I've tried and none of which work as well as iTunes does for iPods. All have various bugs or limitations (Winamp won't let you browse the syncing playlist by artist/album, only letting you edit the sync list as a great big long list, does a really poor job of finding artwork and lyrics. But the wifi sync option is very cool, if slightly pointless. Songbird is still unstable after years of development and has enduring problems with recognising tags.)
So far the best option is MediaMonkey, which is fast, stable and has some brilliant additional functions even in it's free version. It does allow you to browse tracks stored on the phone by artist and album which makes it easier to remove tracks, but doesn't give the selecting tracks from the main library option that iTunes has. Also, CD-ripping is only available in the paid version ($40).
Ideally I'd like to see Google develop or encourage the development of an iTunes equivalent media manager for Android phones on Windows that would do the simple job of syncing music easily, effectively, and without bugs! However this would go against their ambitions for getting everyone to to everything (including music) through the cloud, so I don't have much hope.
Another small issue I've got with music on Android is that the system's music management library doesn't recognise the album artist tag on music files. This means that when browsing music in any application by artist, compilations are split out into each artist. This makes for a messy library. I want the option to have all compilations combined under the 'Various Artists' name - simple to implement, but only possible by recognising the album artist tag.
Android Market
A constant source of irritation to me is a couple of bugs in the Market. The first of these is automatically starting updates which stall before downloading starts, requiring you to long-press and cancel, and then manually re-start each of the updates. Tedious. The other major problem is that about 1/3 to 1/2 the time, completed downloads will fail to install, often repeatedly. No idea. It works eventually, so it's not an issue of compatibility. Aggravating.
In progress...

I have had the DHD for a year too and came from a Iphone and I agree with some of your issues.
Battery life: For me at first I was having to charge at sometimes 1 or 2 in the afternoon >< but now I get to midnight often with 50% charge if i have been using lightly, a day with some gaming music and calls its 15% 20% left this is around 11 when i normally goto bed and put it on charge so battery life is ok for me now (I am on stock sense rom 2.3 something, the latest one)
The GPS been flaky really annoys me sometimes taking 3 4 minutes to get one Sat, makes hoping in the car and getting directions something you have to add 5 minutes to your journey for.
Build Quality has been fine for me, but I have not opened really since i put in my SD card and it's been in a clear gel case with protector since day 1 so looks immaculate. I think the GPS issue is a design flaw.
HTC sense is ok, I only use a couple of their widgets but yea it's not really that useful and can be replicated with many things often free from the market.
Android music players: At first coming from Itunes I liked the fact I could add a new song with drag and drop but in retrospect its better to have a database driven system like itunes for organizing music and playlists means you end up with your music nicely organised tagged and searchable.
The market i have had no issues with really (Though IOS apps are overall slicker than Android still, though Android has caught up in a few now)
I think Android looks really promising with ICS and will finally root and put a Rom on once one is hacked on the Desire HD.
Overall the handset has been nice and I like been able have live wallpapers and change themes with things with different launchers, the Iphone got boring from a OS perspective whereas Android you can change everything and seem like you have a new phone.
Now for the gotcha...I solved all my Android & HTC problems by getting a Samsung Omnia 7 16gb WP7 I have had both phones now concurrently for 8 months and the WP7 is my everyday phone since about 3 weeks into buying it, but I have the desire HD with a backup sim in it and carry that too.
It lasted all day from day one on a charge and I found the OS to do everything I needed without any tweaking, that been social networking, syncing with google calendar, making calls, listening to my music and surfing the web on the go. (I am not really a phone gamer, maybe play the odd puzzle game like jems or something.)
It's a bit like the iphone I guess everything just kind of works with no tweaking but it looks different and you can actually make your home screen look really nice and personal with live tiles of your photos news feeds etc. And Zune I love its a really cool looking desktop client, it checkerboards album art when you play music and my phone wirelessly syncs any new music when its on charge over night (though PC has to be on ofc) I would never go back to drag and drop into folders now. WP7 has its quirks and annoyances too but I think it does the things I need better.
I still love Android though and may get the Galaxy Nexus, However will wait and see the reviews, if Android still has jerky lag scrolling and the random stutters on the homescreens and in browser will wait until next gen, hopefully though they have got the accelerated GUI working well enough, and it looks a lot nicer seems much more integrated from the demos I have seen less hodgepodge than it currently is.
It's great to have three different phone OSes to be able to choose from, currently its not looking like one will get a monopoly like MS did with windows so hopefully we can continue to have some choice and variety for years to come which also drives innovation which means better experiences for us the users!

I gave up with it
I eventually gave up with my HD a couple of weeks ago. The phone, as you wrote, has some strengths and some (serious) weaknesses.
The battery is awful. I stated that the first week I got it -- and the deniers said it was fine. It's not. It's crap. And seriously harms the device.
The phone is also heavy. If that sounds dumb, it's not when your hand is tired holding the damn thing for 45 minutes.
And, after a while, the phone lags badly. Only a complete reset fixes this.
The camera is also so-so, and slow as Hell. Video recording is poor and jerky.
Fortunately, there is a cure to all of these problems -- the Samsung Galaxy S2.

bobbyelliott said:
I eventually gave up with my HD a couple of weeks ago. The phone, as you wrote, has some strengths and some (serious) weaknesses.
The battery is awful. I stated that the first week I got it -- and the deniers said it was fine. It's not. It's crap. And seriously harms the device.
The phone is also heavy. If that sounds dumb, it's not when your hand is tired holding the damn thing for 45 minutes.
And, after a while, the phone lags badly. Only a complete reset fixes this.
The camera is also so-so, and slow as Hell. Video recording is poor and jerky.
Fortunately, there is a cure to all of these problems -- the Samsung Galaxy S2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bye Bye....

I've had my DHD for about 6 months now coming from a TyTN II on WinMob 6.0 which I still have. This one is miiiiiiiiles ahead. I agree that the major put-off with the DHD is the battery and I don't care how much freaking tweaking one does, it SUX!!!! I don't get a full day of moderate use at all. I am constantly plugging it in to charge. This seems to be a common Android device problem. Battery technology just has not kept up with the rest.
That being said, I am happy with most everything else. I love my music and I use Mortplayer. I love to be able to just plug my phone into my laptop via USB and just copy and delete music at my leisure. This goes for videos, series, movies etc.
I have the best apps I believe for my various needs. I will elaborate on this a little later.
I dumped SENSE!!! I have been using GO Launcher for the last 3 or 4 months. I love it! I also only use Live Wallpaper.
My GPS is great. I have had no issues at all. I get a lock indoors in an average of about 20 seconds flat. I have made no alterations or mods whatsoever. My phone is stock, unrooted etc. Don't fix it if it aint broke!
The apps I mostly use:
OfficeSuite Pro
Sygic Navigation
Perfect Viewer for comics
QuickPic gallery
Total Commander
Moboplayer for movies
Mortplayer for music
GO Keyboard (THE best Android keyboard after having tried seven or eight different ones)
Vlingo
Camera ZoomFX Pro
Photaf
PicSayPro
I hardly play games.
GO Contacts and Dialer
GO SMS Pro
Whatsapp
Black Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn for Android
Agile Locker
Animated Weather Pro
Weather Bug
Sense Analog Clock (The best one imho) Lots of skins available
GMail
Pocket Informant (Calendar)
Lookout Security
Equalizer
Volume Ace
Whiteboard Pro
Lots of dictionaries
Aldiko Book reader (The best for Android imho)
Camcard
Barcode Scanner
Camscan
Barcode Generator
Neocalc
Opera Mobile
...And various other tools and utilities.

well what i say m my sig tells everything about it . its just the worst decision of my life to buy it and even bad thing is that no one want to buy this kind of bulky phone here so i m kind of stuck with this phone still.
when i see ics boot up and running on dhd but not sgs2 well first time this phone give me some happiness .

I must say i haven't had many if any of the above issues, build quality is solid as a rock for me, phone been dropped a few times works perfectly well...
Sim cover did tend to be a pain to get off when i first got the phone, but i learned to pull it off by holding the sides of the cover and just gently pulling down.
The Volume rocker does suck, i don't think there's any debate here. You actually have to physically see the screen in order to know you've changed the volume level because it's not tactile whatsoever.
Battery life isn't as bad as people make out. Especially with custom roms, i can have 3 hours screen time and still last the full day in standby without my battery dying.
Camera performs quite well with the right settings as hamdir has demonstrated in his guide.
Overall i'm pleased with the DHD it's not perfect no, but for a year old smartphone it's got plenty of life left in it.

Ok... let's start with Music. The desire hd audio chip sucks. Period. My HD2 kicks its ass all over the place. Still... what you describe as a DHD problem with music sync etc, is present on most if not all Android devices. We only have mass storage.
Now, i do use MediaMonkey... but not the Free or Paid version. I downloaded the latest Beta4 and it manages my 180gb of mp3/ogg/flac/wav/ape whatevah. It syncs what i want and converts on the fly (why would i use FLAC on a cellphone?)
As for battery, with my DHD it lasts 2 days with very moderate use, but 3G always on, 2 google acounts, facebook, etc etc. Wifi is kept on, and when i arrive home, it connects to my wifi at it's own pleasure.
Battery door: Battery is not mean to be removed/inserted all that much. My DHD lasts months without a restart, so i don't see why you should need to remove that as often.
Volume rocker: Due to the above probably, it's still in it's place.
GPS: On this one i'll have to agree... it sucks. That plastic cover on the back is a issue, so much that a homemade fix is necessary.
As for the necessity of dual cores and so what... There really no NEED. We don't NEED this. We were fine with those dumb phones back in the Nokia Black/Green day.
As we want more, we need more... more processing power.
Now, i've used WP7 and iPhone. Lets not compare. WP7 is limited has hell. What it does, it does well. But it suffers for the same as iPhone. It need Zune to make it worth it. iPhone need iTunes. Who the hell designs a cellphone that requires a computer ?
So... please drop the comparision between WP7/iOS with Android. Yes, what they do, they do better than Android. But they do so little.. so so little..

Wrong thread
Black1982 said:
Bye Bye....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You write in the wrong thread br0. Go and cry on Samsung threads. It's not me it's DHD community which says this. Bye! Bye!
You understand Black1982: I'm with you.

Hello
I too use HTC Desire HD only problem is battery

Nice Thread.....
For me 1st year is just getting over today. This phone is awesome, I came from Symbian UIQ3 (W960i) phone. Actually I blindly chosen this phone due to Android+Dolby+HTC. But now am very happy with this decision. I had battery issues and GPS problems, but thanks to XDA devs all these gone over time. I will keep this phone till it dies.

Samsung Galaxy S2......
....is a very fast piece of plastic!
My brother has one and frankly I wouldn't swop my DHD for it ......EVER!!!!
After the DHD I will get another HTC. I am on my third HTC now.
I have seen Sony-Fricssions, Samdungs, (actually the proper name is SAMpple), and frankly HTC is still tops as far as build quality, etc. goes.
What can I say.....I luv me DHD!!!!
BTW, how on earth do people get 2 days without charging? Maybe flashing roms? but I don't want to do this.
The audio on my DHD is actually quite good. I use Equalizer and Volume Ace with Moboplayer and Mortplayer. I have an in-ear Phillips headset and the sound is maybe not the best but it is certainly good. Bass and loudness & clarity is actually quite good on mine. My family complains that my phone is too loud! hehehehehehe

Why do people keep whingeing about the battery life...its a smartphone...what more do you need to know...I've had a few of them...they are ****e,the galaxy s lasts about an he longer,look at this way,if your on the laptop plug it in...you got a sky hd box..plug it ...any device with a USB stick it in ..if your battery goes down to quick you can tweak it to be fair,in general though it just is accepted...the iPhones are even worse!
Htc sense is quality in my opinion,I've tried roms without and didn't gel,I like the DHd it still isn't old in my eyes
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Nice review there. Honestly, I agree with the first few points of TS regarding the battery, Sense and GPS.
For the battery, its also the major setback I noticed when I got this phone. It's not crappy, its utter bulldung. But hey, due to the battery prob forces me to snoop around and found my love, ROM flashing! It's a mixed blessing I guess. Without the battery prob, I wouldn't stubble upon the amazing devs at XDA. as for the battery prob, it lasts for me through the day, an hour of music, Bluetooth headphone connected, a little mail, text and 10 minutes call max got me through the whole day.. all that is possible with a little thing called flashing. It does improve battery life. Period.
Sense.. hmm.. no idea, skipped the whole marketing thing.. sense location and what not. What ONLY like about sense is that u call silence a call by flipping it over, or turn into a blowhorn during a conversation with the same method. Lol. But other then that, its not much about to bother look let alone try.
GPS... Hmmm... First few locks are slow.. sure. But hey, nothing like rooting, flashing CWM GPS.zip can't handle..
Finally.. its a beautiful phone.. albeit its weakness in some areas. It's like a classic car, few chinks here and there, but with a little personalized tweaking, it'll be your phone indeed. I cherish it more than any other phones I had cause its me in an aluminum shell... It's a great phone. And I'm a happy owner.
Ps: want a phone that last a week? Get a Nokia 3210. Lol.
sent from Borneo

What with the obsession with itunes, googlemusic works just fine for me, with a couple of hundred random tracks synced via banshee for offline appreciation
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

What with the obsession with itunes, googlemusic works just fine for me, with a couple of hundred random tracks synced via banshee for offline appreciation
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... Google Music works fine. I bet it does, i can't have it yet. Not here on my country anyway. But i can have iTunes.
I don't like iTunes. To be honest, iTunes is everything i HATE on a media manager.
But, it has a advantage that GMusic does not. iTunes does not store your entire collection on the cloud. I have 180gb+ of media... this makes Google Music a "no no" for me.

In just about two weeks, it'd be our anniversary
With DHD being my first smartphone, I really didn't have much expectations of it. I just bought it then because the HD7 was still unavailable. Sense rocks. Sure the stock eventually grew very laggy, Messages does not send messages.. But hey, that's what Android Market is for.
Eventually tried rooting and flashing custom ROMs, and hell yeah, I think I may well use it for, if time allows, still another year. In the internal side, I find nothing wrong with it. It's not like it's gonna replace my computer or anything. At this point, I kinda appreciate Sense, especially Sense 3.5, the UI is just perfect, and the Beats Audio works well at default compared to how PowerAMP does. Equalizer app makes it more perfect.
The build quality for me is kinda mixed. We gotta love the metal casing. But the detachable plastic parts, they're questionable. I also bought the phone with the power keys in a deeper position than advertised out of the box, which at the time I was unaware, so it's kinda takes more effort to press it.
Just around five months ago, the volume rocker somehow broke off and fell somewhere while I was walking home. I usually joke with my friends that DHD comes with a stylus.. a toothpick for pressing the volume lol. The h and t in the htc logo behind the phone got lost as well. I can only see the shining c with holes on the h and t lol.
But, given that the phone fell on the road with a strong impact once, fell in a pail full of water once while having a call, and ran against the rain with it once, and that my phone is still alive, I guess I like it. The mic's busted though.
I think I gotta bring this baby to the hospital, er the service centre one of these days. I still love it today. Custom ROMs rejuvenate it. )

Almost all the issues are caused by the alluminum body. You can't have a handheld radio device with metal casing that doesn't have some plastic parts to embed the antenna. Well, actually you can, but then you'll have to expose the antenna and explain to the users that they are holding the device the "wrong" way. But having the metal body has one great advantage over plastic - with proper care it still looks as good as new. I have mine DHD for little over a year and it's like brand new. And the only protection it has against the elements (including my two kids) is just the stock screen protector. I love that feature so much that it was one of the two things that drove me in the direction of choosing acer a500 for a tablet. And I seriously can't understand all the people complaining about the battery life. Mine lasts two days with normal usage and can easily last a workday with moderate to heavy usage. And if you don't have any access to a power source / usb plug near your workplace, I somehow doubt that your work requirements involve spending 8 hours playing with your phone . And I'm on a rooted stock 2.3.3 ROM with no battery tweaks whatsoever. Actually I pluged my phone yesterday for an hour while having lunch (that could not charge the battery completely) and 30 hours later I'm on 20%. True - I didn't use it that much (maybe 20 minutes talking on the phone) but it's still what should be expected of a smartphone. BTW iPhone4 battery life is worse despite it's tiny screen and limited functionality and I hear 4s is even worse.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

daedric said:
Well... Google Music works fine. I bet it does, i can't have it yet. Not here on my country anyway. But i can have iTunes.
I don't like iTunes. To be honest, iTunes is everything i HATE on a media manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not available here officially either, but hey us XDA'ers aren't going to let that stop us are we?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

snowpatrol1702 said:
Why do people keep whingeing about the battery life...its a smartphone...what more do you need to know...I've had a few of them...they are ****e,the galaxy s lasts about an he longer,look at this way,if your on the laptop plug it in...you got a sky hd box..plug it ...any device with a USB stick it in ..if your battery goes down to quick you can tweak it to be fair,in general though it just is accepted...the iPhones are even worse!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? Because it's not satisfactory, that's why. Do you not understand the concept of a review?
Why do you even have a mobile phone if you never leave the house/office? If you're happy to stay plugged in all the time, why not just use your laptop for computing etc and a landline for phone calls? You do realise that smartphones are meant to be mobile too, don't you?
tkolev said:
I seriously can't understand all the people complaining about the battery life. Mine lasts two days with normal usage and can easily last a workday with moderate to heavy usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously? Seriously, try reading my post again. As I described, I don't get the same performance as you. Clearly lots of other people have the same problem. I don't know why this is, but it doesn't stop it being a fact. What's not to understand? Do you think I'm making up my experience for fun, or something?
ghostofcain said:
What with the obsession with itunes, googlemusic works just fine for me, with a couple of hundred random tracks synced via banshee for offline appreciation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't realise there was anyway to access Google Music in the UK yet - I'm going to give it a try out of curiosity, but... continuously drain my battery and be dependent on a decent signal? No thanks. I'm really still not convinced cloud storage of music and video is the way forward at present in general. Plus the Google Music app is pretty bare bones and it doesn't seem possible to play music downloaded from Google Music in other music apps.
I'm not obsessed with iTunes, it's just really good for syncing music to portables. My point was that there's no decent equivalent for Android phones.

Common faults with Xperia PLAY

I am interested to know how many of you have experienced faults I have read about while frequenting these forums.
The reason for me wondering this is because my Xperia PLAY is just out of warranty (2 years) and I'm considering buying a new handset while I can as it seems to be out of production, and before long all that will be available is used devices. The device didn't succeed much in terms of android updates and support from Sony (they had too much invested in the DOA PS Vita) but alas, no other device compares to it in terms of gaming with particular regard to emulator support. This is primarily a gaming-centric device (hdmi-out would have made it golden) and I honestly don't see its crown being taken any time soon. I think this is reason enough for me to hold onto one but unsure of if a new one in warranty is necessary, hence the poll.

Tlrtheory has made several posts regarding his thoughts on the xperia play. He had moved XP to an HTC One-x and to an iphone 5 only to come back to an XP. Sorry I contact link any comments as I am away from my laptop. Will post some later.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium

Its definitely a fun little device to have, but I can't use it as a daily driver.
The XP does one thing well, and only one. Portable gaming.
While its inconvenient to carry around a Dual shock 3 and a separate device, its a much more pleasurable experience than using my XP. Dem joysticks.
If you have the opportunity, use a newer device in conjunction with an XP.
My main problem with my XP is that it showed its age rather quickly, and even using stock gingerbread, it can barely perform the games it used to blaze through. I'm unsure whether its my processor, the SD Card, or the device is just plain old, but the XP does not live up to its former glory.
After about a year, no matter what I tried, I was unable to perform basic tasks without encountering extreme amounts of lag, while gaming was un-enjoyable. Mine is collecting dust, with an occasional power on and play when my tablet is out of juice.
Sent from my Nexus 7

My experience with PLAY has been fantastic. It plays almost all available emulators at full speed. My only gripe was the amount of support from Sony was lackluster to say the least. But as a basic Android phone, it works splendid.
I haven't experienced any problems that I've read yet, I've gotten my phone stolen half way through its contract so the one I have now is about a year and a half years old. But the main problem people seem to report would be the flex cable.

Power button sometimes gets stuck and my volume buttons and back cover are VERY squeaky.

Actually my Power Buttons fine, it's just that the varnish has gone so now theres a massive LED light now..
And I'm not sure if this is normal but my R Trigger feels looser than the L Trigger.

The paint on the 4 front buttons (back,search,home, and settings) started to chip off and another big problem that hasn't happened to me yet but lots of people complain about is the flex cable
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)

Yes also for me, the paint is starting to come off.

AzNTypeR said:
And I'm not sure if this is normal but my R Trigger feels looser than the L Trigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, its very loose :/ L is fine though..
The only other problem i have is my back button being too squishy, theres no force needed to push it!
I have had no problems with the power button because I never use it :silly: I mapped search to be power instead as its easier to access and I never used search lol

Zilch for me.
...the only problem I really have is that the previous owner messed up the front camera when replacing the flex cable. My original Xperia Play (which is now in the hands of a long-time friend) has absolutely NO hardware issues at all.
The only real problems were that:
• Internal memory sucked (which we can easily remedy with Link2SD - I've done it and now I have 471 installs while having 283MB free)
• Stock launcher was weak (also an easy fix - I've found ssLauncher to be the smoothest, most aesthetically appealing option)
• Stock browser was laggy (get Opera, it's not only the best mobile browser, but it's completely smooth on Xperia Play)
• Didn't natively come with notifcation toggles (which can be fixed with notifications)
...but by far and large... the biggest complaint is just that it's not "officially" supporting ICS. I take a rather extreme stance of "are you guys on crack?!" when someone tries to point this out as a valid point. This is not a damn iPhone... meaning it doesn't work on the same restrictive principles as the iPhone. On iOS, there's no getting around the fact that you need a newer FW to get features. On Android, we aren't so much affected in the same manner. Yeah 4.2.2 brings lock screen widgets... but everything dating back to 2.1 has already had those features through external apps like widgetlocker. We can get data management without 4.x.x, and even have that holo theme take over our Xperia Play. So, for us... anything above 2.3.7 is more of a bragging right... and it's a bragging right that compromises the stability of our games and compromises how much of the RAM we have... that ain't very "baller" to me.

Somebody give this guy a medal, please? Makes me love my XPlay even more (even if "she's" very sickly).

My xPlay is more than year old, and so far she don't have any hardware issues. And even when i get newer phone, i plan to flash some gingerbread rom without phone capabilities and use it as psx/c64 platform untill she dies in my hands...
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app

My R800x is almost 2 years old, still have that despite moving to a R800at, which was in new condition. But both phones and my R800x are in great condition with no hardware issues whatsoever.
And despite playing with a GS3 for 2 weeks it was nice but didnt wave my flag, so I went, nah, and went back to my PLAY. No regrets when I moved from R800x to R800at, especially since i snagged a prototype AT&T model with no branding on it and it was already bootloader unlocked. Had to unlock the sim lock but that was no big deal. Is our phone dated hardware wise yes, but would I give it up for a GS4, nope. I know some people will think it odd and call me crazy but there is nothing like using this phone for some online MC3 or Lets Golf 2 or shadowgun or Bards Tale, or especially the Tiger Arcade CPS1/CPS2/NeoGeo emulators......
Best thing on the world for phone and gaming in my opinion. $ony needs to make another XP2, but doubtful since they want to try and resuscitate the Vita... anyways, no issues but per bliss.

ozzmanj1 said:
a prototype AT&T model with no branding on it and it was already bootloader unlocked. Had to unlock the sim lock but that was no big deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does it have an hdmi out as the first demo units did or is it a later prototype without please?
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

ps3taker said:
does it have an hdmi out as the first demo units did or is it a later prototype without please?
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No HDMI out, I had made a thread on it, see post 8 for images:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2088271
Noticed the ebay listing is gone, one of the photos showed the back with the battery out and it clearly states "Prototype not for sale", and on the bottom of the front keys there is a serialized number on it. Also the IMEI starts with 044 which I have read means its a proto model. If you'd like me to make a photo of the back let me know, of course I will blur out the last half of the IMEI #.
Edit - Added photos. See attached.

My contract ends next week and... I decided to stay with my XP. I know is little bit outdated and latest games not running smoothly but it's still fun.
Later someone mention that better is to connect to tv and use pad to play but try to do that waiting in queue or bus, during lunch time or waiting for your missus trying another dress...
If want to play good quality game I turn on my PC or Xbox.
Modified ROMs give us nearly all functions that new phones have. I not much gamer to have extra pocket device with me and smudging on screen to play is not fun either. I still have hope that Sony realize that chase after Apple, Samsung etc. Is not only copy other devices but to make some unique moves. Sometimes I thinks that get rid Ericsson was mistake, I used since 1018 long time ago.
Back to topic. I have my XP for 2 yeaes now, no major issues.
I have problem with touchpads, they not working always. I need to turn off phone, remove battery and they back. Tried different roms, kernel, back to stock and even send twice to Sony. I can live with that.
Heard that ribbon is problem. I have change that but it happen when fallen down to river with my XP inside pocket. When dried out phone back to life but later screen started flickering.
Sorry for boring post but I love my XP.
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app

ozzmanj1 said:
Tlrtheory has made several posts regarding his thoughts on the xperia play. He had moved XP to an HTC One-x and to an iphone 5 only to come back to an XP. Sorry I contact link any comments as I am away from my laptop. Will post some later.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I remember reading it and thinking I'd quite like a white XP too but all that is available for sale in the UK are used ones (don't buy used electronics) or grossly overpriced ones (£400+ for a 2011 handset? dafk!).
Replacing my XP with something different isn't really on my mind, but more just that of preserving a working one because it is still the damned best handheld you can get even if its capabilities as a phone are questionable. Its inevitable I will have to replace it eventually given that app developers won't support GB forever. When that day comes, Sony won't even be a brand I consider unless they get a grip on the future of PS Mobile and release an Xperia PLAY 2. It will be Nexus all the way for me with their great pricing and software support. But even then I will still want to hold onto my XP as a great gaming machine.
Its a great shame Sony doesn't realise the potential of a gaming/phone hybrid. The XP had a lacklustre launch with lacklustre specs with a lacklustre marketing campaign, and despite this it was still a great handset in many ways and earned itself itself a strong following. Sony (and pretty much any multinational company) only cares about the sales figures and not the big picture. Smartphones are and will continue to eat into dedicated gaming handhelds; PS Vita is the past and devices like the XP are what they need to move PS Mobile as a strategy going forwards.
Leraeniesh said:
Its definitely a fun little device to have, but I can't use it as a daily driver.
The XP does one thing well, and only one. Portable gaming.
While its inconvenient to carry around a Dual shock 3 and a separate device, its a much more pleasurable experience than using my XP. Dem joysticks.
If you have the opportunity, use a newer device in conjunction with an XP.
My main problem with my XP is that it showed its age rather quickly, and even using stock gingerbread, it can barely perform the games it used to blaze through. I'm unsure whether its my processor, the SD Card, or the device is just plain old, but the XP does not live up to its former glory.
After about a year, no matter what I tried, I was unable to perform basic tasks without encountering extreme amounts of lag, while gaming was un-enjoyable. Mine is collecting dust, with an occasional power on and play when my tablet is out of juice.
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds very much like a hardware problem with your device, either that or the SD card. Its definitely not something I have experienced. I decrapified my handset from useless apps from day one and experience little to no lag, ever. Nexus+XP might be something I consider going forwards but the XP is definitely irreplaceable in terms of gaming, which is a shame.
Mega5657 said:
My experience with PLAY has been fantastic. It plays almost all available emulators at full speed. My only gripe was the amount of support from Sony was lackluster to say the least. But as a basic Android phone, it works splendid.
I haven't experienced any problems that I've read yet, I've gotten my phone stolen half way through its contract so the one I have now is about a year and a half years old. But the main problem people seem to report would be the flex cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I agree with you and everyone else in regards to the flex cable. It was clearly designed poorly to avoid ware.
I have a bad feeling that mine is slowly on its way too. It didn't used to make any noise when opening/closing the slider but it makes an unmistakably odd crackling noise now. This is the main reason I'm considering replacing it with a new handset while I can... not worth the heartache later
CyberScopes said:
Power button sometimes gets stuck and my volume buttons and back cover are VERY squeaky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only had my power button get stuck the once and I rarely use the volume buttons tbh.
The back cover is definitely very squeaky. I'm probably in the minority here but I'm a big fan of plastic housing for phones because of its durability and shock resistance, but the XP's back cover was poorly designed and adds to the growing list of problems for us 1st worlders, lol.
AzNTypeR said:
Actually my Power Buttons fine, it's just that the varnish has gone so now theres a massive LED light now..
And I'm not sure if this is normal but my R Trigger feels looser than the L Trigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here with the R trigger. Its lost its springiness. This I think has something to do with how we hold our devices when making a call, so it seems Apple users aren't alone in "holding it wrong" lol.
abdel12345 said:
The paint on the 4 front buttons (back,search,home, and settings) started to chip off and another big problem that hasn't happened to me yet but lots of people complain about is the flex cable
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This started to happen to my device very slightly but since getting the Trident case, no further ware on the buttons has occurred.
TLRtheory said:
Zilch for me.
...the only problem I really have is that the previous owner messed up the front camera when replacing the flex cable. My original Xperia Play (which is now in the hands of a long-time friend) has absolutely NO hardware issues at all.
The only real problems were that:
• Internal memory sucked (which we can easily remedy with Link2SD - I've done it and now I have 471 installs while having 283MB free)
• Stock launcher was weak (also an easy fix - I've found ssLauncher to be the smoothest, most aesthetically appealing option)
• Stock browser was laggy (get Opera, it's not only the best mobile browser, but it's completely smooth on Xperia Play)
• Didn't natively come with notifcation toggles (which can be fixed with notifications)
...but by far and large... the biggest complaint is just that it's not "officially" supporting ICS. I take a rather extreme stance of "are you guys on crack?!" when someone tries to point this out as a valid point. This is not a damn iPhone... meaning it doesn't work on the same restrictive principles as the iPhone. On iOS, there's no getting around the fact that you need a newer FW to get features. On Android, we aren't so much affected in the same manner. Yeah 4.2.2 brings lock screen widgets... but everything dating back to 2.1 has already had those features through external apps like widgetlocker. We can get data management without 4.x.x, and even have that holo theme take over our Xperia Play. So, for us... anything above 2.3.7 is more of a bragging right... and it's a bragging right that compromises the stability of our games and compromises how much of the RAM we have... that ain't very "baller" to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well pretty much the same. I have only had minor issues so far with mine, with the R1 button losing springiness, ware on the front buttons and the housing scratching the gamepad. My main concern is with the flex cable; it now sounds unhealthy when opening/closing the device, where it didn't before. Do you notice anything with yours?
I agree with you. Link2SD is a REQUIREMENT for XP users and I never worry about internal storage any more.
Meh. I have no problem with the stock launcher. Sure it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of say a Samsung device but what it lacks in features is makes up for in simplicity and stability.
The stock browser was worse than aweful; it was atrocious. After a few weeks of using it I replaced it. Opera is indeed the best browser available for android. I tried Firefox and others, which were largely very unstable and overall just rubbish for multiple different reasons.
I agree on the ICS issue. though I do think it was something that could have been avoided if it had been released with current specs on launch day. But alas, it didn't and there's no point crying about it now. The real shame is not that it didn't get ICS, its that the lacklustre launch specs and sales campaign that probably stopped it from getting the sales it deserved and resultantly killed off much chance we had of seeing a successor to it.
Bakisha said:
My xPlay is more than year old, and so far she don't have any hardware issues. And even when i get newer phone, i plan to flash some gingerbread rom without phone capabilities and use it as psx/c64 platform untill she dies in my hands...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope its good health continues for you. Its gaming capabilities are definitely not in doubt, even 2 years later :good:
ozzmanj1 said:
My R800x is almost 2 years old, still have that despite moving to a R800at, which was in new condition. But both phones and my R800x are in great condition with no hardware issues whatsoever.
And despite playing with a GS3 for 2 weeks it was nice but didnt wave my flag, so I went, nah, and went back to my PLAY. No regrets when I moved from R800x to R800at, especially since i snagged a prototype AT&T model with no branding on it and it was already bootloader unlocked. Had to unlock the sim lock but that was no big deal. Is our phone dated hardware wise yes, but would I give it up for a GS4, nope. I know some people will think it odd and call me crazy but there is nothing like using this phone for some online MC3 or Lets Golf 2 or shadowgun or Bards Tale, or especially the Tiger Arcade CPS1/CPS2/NeoGeo emulators......
Best thing on the world for phone and gaming in my opinion. $ony needs to make another XP2, but doubtful since they want to try and resuscitate the Vita... anyways, no issues but per bliss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not crazy, I use the XP for all my portable gaming needs. Its a real shame we won't ever likely see a successor or even a challenger to it. But at least if the majority of devices stay working without the aforementioned faults, what remains is a great and unbeaten gaming device.
ps3taker said:
does it have an hdmi out as the first demo units did or is it a later prototype without please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was on developer units. Dire shame this feature never made the cut.
bartmw said:
My contract ends next week and... I decided to stay with my XP. I know is little bit outdated and latest games not running smoothly but it's still fun.
Later someone mention that better is to connect to tv and use pad to play but try to do that waiting in queue or bus, during lunch time or waiting for your missus trying another dress...
If want to play good quality game I turn on my PC or Xbox.
Modified ROMs give us nearly all functions that new phones have. I not much gamer to have extra pocket device with me and smudging on screen to play is not fun either. I still have hope that Sony realize that chase after Apple, Samsung etc. Is not only copy other devices but to make some unique moves. Sometimes I thinks that get rid Ericsson was mistake, I used since 1018 long time ago.
Back to topic. I have my XP for 2 yeaes now, no major issues.
I have problem with touchpads, they not working always. I need to turn off phone, remove battery and they back. Tried different roms, kernel, back to stock and even send twice to Sony. I can live with that.
Heard that ribbon is problem. I have change that but it happen when fallen down to river with my XP inside pocket. When dried out phone back to life but later screen started flickering.
Sorry for boring post but I love my XP.
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Who the hell uses a dualshock controller or one of those ridiculously obese and unportable controller attachments? It looks and is retarded. People are mad if they think otherwise.
I also know someone who got their XP damp (dropped in puddle) and the ribbon went a few months later. Sounds like this is something to try and avoid.

Also, another problem is that the Front Camera's gone completely Green and Fuzzy. May be down to the amount of times that I've dropped it, before it wasn't that bad but now it simply refuses to work.

On my third Play, but not through anything breaking by itself. My first was stolen, my second didn't survive my dropping it in a sink full of water. Water = not good for sure, and I'm paranoid about the flex cable. Interestingly each that I had tried with let me overclock to 1.5GHz at stock voltage, but I use OC sparingly.
It's an absolute essential to get the Trident case IMO, it saved my last play from being dropped on concrete twice I'm sure and to protect the buttons. Honestly, if anyone is thinking about getting it and worrying about the price: please if you can at all afford it, just get it. It'll save you money on a broken phone some day.
And also honestly it's the only phone for me, even if imperfect. I can either choose between GB and some new 4.0+ only apps not being available (for me, BBC radio player), or ICS and some circle button and game incompatibilities (krisdee's Hybrid rom + LuPus ICS/GB 480p seems a viable combination for game performance and general stability at least though, which is great). Not tried JB. But either way, it's more game playing than I'd do on any device without buttons regardless of the specs. Even if it only played emulators, it would still be "cool" to me.
I agree Opera is the smoothest browser, I've always found that, particularly on GB. And yes the speakers are so very useful, I use it as a mini "radio" all the time.

I seriously don't know how you guys have problems.. i bought mine 2nd hand a year ago and only problem I've faced is the housing seems to fade/damage easily. going to replace it soon. otherwise no prob.