Related
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/209376/htc-touch-diamond.html
I was thinking of buying one of these, now i am put off .....
colonel said:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/209376/htc-touch-diamond.html
I was thinking of buying one of these, now i am put off .....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO IT'S NOT (that bad)!!!
It's a beautiful device, FTouchFlo3D looks wonderful, it's small, it's thin, it has many many small details...
True, the first ROM was slow and laggie (is that a word?). But now already after a few weeks there are many new ROMs including the newly cooked ones that make the device much snappier, stabile and sometimes really fast.
There still are some points like memory leaking and short batterylife but I'm sure these things will be solved in the near future.
I LOVE IT!!!!!
it depends ... and besides that do you believe everything you read ? I can find you you as much reviews about how is Diamond great as about how is Diamond bad ... if you really want to know buy it and try it if it fits your needs
I believe everything I read ;->
but seriously, I didn't want to upset anyone.
I am a big user of HTC devices. Its just this one seems a bit overhyped and you do worry about this type of review as this magazine is reasonably respected. good to hear that newer ROMs are better. Are the official ROMs better ?
Any piece of **** review that mentions the Apple iPhone in the first two paragraphs is probably written by an Apple fanboy and.. well, you know where the review is heading...
Ignore this trash.
There are alot of reviews floating around the net... I personally followed the coolsmartphone take on the Diamond http://www.coolsmartphone.com/article775.html
He had the phone and posted video reviews every day for a week. This was a great way of doing things as it helped people get a feel for the phone and what it was capable of.
I agree that the signal strength isnt the highest ive had (fixable in a ROM update with new RADIO im sure) but other than that ive not installed any Custom Rom on my diamond and ive not even used any of the Registry Tweaks that this site talks about and im very happy with my Diamond.
I would say pop into a store when they are released and get a feel for one first if your that concerned but all ive gotta say is ive finally got a device that does it all and improves on the Windows Mobile Interface.
Im not going to slate the iPhone as to be honest its prob due to the iPhone coming out, giving all Phone Manuafacturers a well needed kick up the arse to start thinking about what people what.
The Diamond is the bees knees and the mutts nuts! Im chuffed with mine and have no intention of getting rid of it.
I loved my Touch Dual, but this is now on eBay. It would take alot for me to put that up for sale, and the Diamond managed to do that straight away!
I tend to agree with those that dismiss this review as overly negative. In fact, at the end of the review, they say that HTC may make some tweaks that make it a half decent phone. Many of those tweaks have appeared already in the new production version of the ROM (1.37).
My view in a nutshell:
Windows 6.1 is a feature rich and customisable platform which allows you to do some great things with your phone. However, the user interface of raw windows is pretty ugly.
HTC's Touchflow3D is a flawed masterpiece. What it does and how it looks is great, but it's just not quite quick enough - and still doesn't hide away all of the ugly aspects of windows. NEvertheless, it is pretty damn good - and much better than the first touchflow versions (IMHO).
Diamond is available now, with 3g, GPS, etc - I'm sure HTC and Apple will leapfrog each other with their releases from here.
HTC's new form factor has finally delivered Chic. I've always thought they pack a lot into their little boxes - but this is a phone that doesn't screak "geek" when you look at it (even though all the geeky capabilities are there!).
The responsiveness of the screen is a differentiator - given the extra functionality of the HTC, you will at times want to use the stylus. This has forced them into using resistive technology which is a bit less responsive than the iPhone. However, the benefit is that you can do things that the iPhone simply cant do!
Oh, I should say that the activesync of Diamond with outlook works like a dream .
If I had one major criticism of the Diamond, it's the memory. I don't need an SD slot, but I do wish they could have squeezed in 8 or 16gigs.
Ultimately, the choice between Apple and HTC is about whether you want a locked down feature-set which hangs together margianlly better, or something which is infinitely improvable, but lacks the out-of-the-box slickness of the iPhone. Personally, for the money I'll go for HTC every time.
Best bet: try and get your hands on one, and see how it feels - a bit like compact cameras, there's a lot of personal preference of how it feels in the hand, which can matter more to the user than pure specifications. I think the Diamond will win you over - particularly if you're looking at a newer ROM version!
And to think he got paid to write that...
He praises Opera 9.5, while I think although useful at times, this browser still needs a lot of work before I move from IE mobile permanently.
Conclusion - Opinions are like a-holes - everyone has one.... he is...
I have read lots about the Diamond in the last couple of days with many conflicting views. But it seems like this site is full of tweaks that might actually improve the phone.
Can the users here tell me if they think I should get one and give just one reason why?
Thanks,
Jon
please read before you bother to post
this is asked all the time....
you need to take the time to read and make up your own mind
i am more than happy with my diamond
welcome to the forum
Same here happy as a dog with my Jewel.
I believe all my fellow Forum members are 100% happy of the powerful Jewel they own.
Trust us you wont be disappointed specially after a visit to the kitchen
Im happy with mine coming from a nokia n95, ok the diamond could do with a flash and a better battery.
Other than that its all good....
There are loads of posts about this dotted over the forum, granted they are a bit of a trek to find.
It all depends on what you want to use the phone for. For my needs its great. Plays music, cameras ok, the VGA screen is really really nice and I do actually like TouchFlo 3D.
Good luck with the searching, and hope you find the answers to help you decide.
And I have to say the Diamond is the best phone ive owned, and ive had a lot of mobiles and pdas in the past. Its mainly thanks to this forum for that. So many dedicated people. Thanks xda!
Part of the reason for me leaning towards the Diamond is the existence of this forum. When I found it, I thought to myself, "Wow! Loads of help at hand, regular ROM updates, tweaks, the lot!"
Currently I have an old Sony Ericsson K750i and the joystick barely works now, so it would be a big step up.
Jon12345 said:
Part of the reason for me leaning towards the Diamond is the existence of this forum. When I found it, I thought to myself, "Wow! Loads of help at hand, regular ROM updates, tweaks, the lot!"
Currently I have an old Sony Ericsson K750i and the joystick barely works now, so it would be a big step up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well im sure it would better than the current SE phone. Heres some of the reasons why i love my diamond.
1. So many app / utils / tweaks available and very cheap to buy extra programs for it. (donations to developers are all good to!)
2. Activesyncing my phone to my pc, always been an easy task with Windows Mobile.
3. Being able to control my phone using my PC (MyMobiler - excellent little program)
4. The Small size of the phone, it really is very small! Easy to use one handed
5. Screen Quality - VGA, you wonder how you coped before!
6. Easy to transfer info to and from the phone - Activesync or Removable Drive (USB Flash drive)
7. GPS - Tomtom on your mobile, excellent! Works very well
8. 4GB Storage - Plenty of space for what i need.
There are tons more! Post would be the longest on here if i kept on talking! hehe!
Here's my 2 cents. Got my Diamond yesterday, loved it, it look so wonderful. Just bear in mind that I am coming from a Trinity with a fast ROM.
I started to play around with the phone for awhile and took me back to when Winduhs released that beta testing Vista. It looked nice and pretty but it was a pain to use after you've been using XP for a while.
Regardless of what i just said, i love the Diamond and I might keep it. It makes my Trinity looks like a monster but it lags too much as it is.
If support and constant updates/improvements is what you're looking for, you've found the right phone. This forum is above and beyond any community I've ever seen when it comes to tweaks, ROMs, and any sort of improvement you could possibly make to your device. Just make sure to read all directions and pay attention closely, a lot of these things can turn your beautiful Diamond into a $700 brick.
Mainly because it's a tool which simplifies my work/life...not a mere toy to be shown on saturday evening (any reference is casual )
But in any case those are all personal opinions, I think you should make your own considerations and evalutions of a product before to buy that or another.
Be a subject talking about an object, not viceversa
Got mine last Thursday on Vodafone... it was nice, but a little laggy, then I updated it with a cooked ROM (swiftBL I think it was) and its a little beast now! Best phone ever!
Trying to get TomTom 7 on it at the mo.
For my first WinMo (coming from a Motorola KRZR) its just superb! And with a little READING the instructions, its pretty easy to update the ROM, add apps etc...
Get one and never look back!
Please don't be a fanboy!
DanGlee said:
And with a little READING the instructions, its pretty easy to update the ROM, add apps etc...
Click to expand...
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Someone who reads the directions and finds it easy to do, without asking 500 times how to flash a ROM?
Edited to maintain my reputation of not being gay. Hah.
Jon12345 said:
I have read lots about the Diamond in the last couple of days with many conflicting views. But it seems like this site is full of tweaks that might actually improve the phone.
Can the users here tell me if they think I should get one and give just one reason why?
Thanks,
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have no problem to spend some extra money in missed calls, in general is a good toy.
THERE IS A UNSOLVED BUG WITH THE PHONE ON SCEEN BUTTONS. Every time when you receive a call and put it out of the pouch you answer or loose the call automatically. This is a bull****.
Just use the Diamond tweak tool thingy and I can see vast improvements already, you guys don't mess around huh? I want my diamond to perform, i have a bad habit of using my phone while driving, which is a bit hard to do on a touchscreen. I think my Diamond is almost there.
I really don't want to flash this puppy, kinda scared of ruin my warranty.
RingTone01 said:
I really don't want to flash this puppy, kinda scared of ruin my warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just be cautious in whatever you do, and make sure you don't brick it... Whatever you do, as long as it's done correctly, can be reversed later on. Original SPL, original ROM, 100% warranty okay. But hey, if you're happy with the performance now, leave well enough alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Thanks for the heads up, I figured that if everyone is trying to get a diamond ROM why should I do anything, except for tweaking it of course.
I was surprised to see that the ROM I have on my Trinity isn't the same as the real thing. It works, and works well and that is all that matters.
Well basically I may be getting a HTC diamond, but would like to know some things from people who actually own them.
My mum has the HTC and has got it replaced so now its a brand new phone. She has offered to switch for my Nokia N95 but Im unsure. I am trying it this weekend to get better used to it and see if I want to switch.
All I hear from people that don't own WM is WM sucks I hate it blah blah blah. Which I pretty much know is complete bollocks.
I just really want to know how easy it is to live with day to day.
I am only 15 and do text a lot and am quite concerned about the screen size and no physical keys.
And what sort of customization is there?
Haha sorry for being all over the place but answers are appreciated!
Thanks, Ben.
there are software keyboards like phonepad which does t9
if I were you I would try it out and see if I liked it
thanks, I will give that a try.
I have a few more questions though:
Where can I get a 3.5mm jack for it? (UK) I bought a cheap one off ebay that failed.
Also, Whats all the ROM thing about? Is there an Easy F.A.Q about it all?
Thanks, Ben
for a 15yo who texts a lot, I'd recommend getting the touch pro or something else with a physical keyboard. I don't think the Diamond is for casual users because it's very finnicky and a lot of customization is needed if you really want to enjoy the phone. This is not a knock on the Diamond at all because I LOVE mine, but I'm giving you advice that you might not be enjoying it as much because at 15yo, I wouldnt like flashing ROMs or installing cabs anyway. But hey, who knows, it might be different in your case =)
Well I do love technology so learning is all good for me when flashing ROM's I'm always interested in that kind of thing.
As for custumisation I love that sort of things and can spend hours and hours just fiddling with tech.
Its just really the SMS which Im worried about. But I suppose when I break it down I only send 20/30 texts a day so maybe I could live.
Ahh I dont know. I guess living with it this weekend will help. The device is insured anyway so even if I brick it a new one will be sent right away
what is WinMo 6.5 all about? Its not even released yet? Is it worth upgrading or not?
khsbenny said:
Well basically I may be getting a HTC diamond, but would like to know some things from people who actually own them.
My mum has the HTC and has got it replaced so now its a brand new phone. She has offered to switch for my Nokia N95 but Im unsure. I am trying it this weekend to get better used to it and see if I want to switch.
All I hear from people that don't own WM is WM sucks I hate it blah blah blah. Which I pretty much know is complete bollocks.
I just really want to know how easy it is to live with day to day.
I am only 15 and do text a lot and am quite concerned about the screen size and no physical keys.
And what sort of customization is there?
Haha sorry for being all over the place but answers are appreciated!
Thanks, Ben.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, i'm a "new" windows mobile user (3 months), before that i had a n95, so here's what i think: The diamond screen is bigger and has double the definition than the n95 one. The Diamond screen keyboard (EzInput) is incredible, at first you feel strange, but after about a week you get used and is really easy to type (even with my fat fingers ), since it's a "full keyboard".
The factory Rom for the diamond is a little slower than the symbiam (n95 OS), but with some modifications from this forum it becomes much faster, but still crashes one or other time, and you have to turn it off/on (about once a week, when i'm doing too much stuff at the same time and there's no more free memory. nothing to worry about).
The N95 is much better for music (with the stereo speakers and dedicated keys) and photos (flash, higher resolution), but for all the other things you can't even compare it. On the diamond, the web navigation and the GPS are much better, using to edit documents on the office is really easier with the touch screen, seeing your e-mails is faster and the "phone" functions are really simple.
Now the best thing about WinMo are the apps you can download. You have great programs to do quite about anything. Like a PC remote controller, a torrent downloader, a podcast and RSS reader, and games like a emulator of Snes and Playstation 1, quake 3 arena, Call of Duty 2, etc.
As for customisation, it's praticcaly infinite. you can use and write different today plugins and screens, and make it look like anything, from your Pc desktop to an Iphone, just take a look at some posts here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=428463 and here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=508429
Just for you to be sure i don't work for microsoft , don't be fooled: out of factory the diamond is slow, doesn't has so many good Apps and has an unstable system. The cutomization and tweaks are the things that make all the difference! Good luck with your choice.
Oh, and i'm 22 and i don't work with my mobile or with computers, so i just use Winmo cause it's a lot of fun.
Well day 1 and Im loving it. Looks like I'll be keeping this
.
just look arround on this forum and you will find allot of interresting programs and addons for your phone
all things makes live a little easyer
I switched from a Samsung Jack ("Blackjack II" in the states) to this phone because the Samsung wasn't compatible with a lot of the WM apps I wanted to use. The Diamond does a hell of a lot more and does it a lot better. I will say, though, that texting is much more of a pain when compared to a phone with a full hardware keyboard. I mess up a lot unless I'm using a stylus. Maybe it's just me.
Hi guys, I currently own a G2 (That I love) and you can see my device history in my sig, which clearly states that I'm an android fan.
However, I always love to try new things, and I'm really liking the simplicity of WP7 as well as the Zune music player.
So I was thinking, the HD7 is damn cheap on eBay right now, why not get one?
Please leave below why I should or should not get an HD7 to use along side my G2 (not at the same time of course).
Thanks!
(this thread is meant to be a reference for future buyers as well, so be critical!)
I am a Android user since the G1 as well. Since 2008: G1, MT3G, iPhone, HD2, Nexus One, HD2 (again) running Android, BB9700, Vibrant, MT4G now a HD7. So you can see we have similar experience.
That being said the HD7 is far better than any Android in the refinement/smoothness/response of the OS. As soon as you leave the native OS however that goes away. I have not found one app from the market that performs like the rest of the phone does. The market apps are slow, gittery and at this point not the most rewarding experience.
I am confident issues like these will improve with time; I am sure you remember looking at a black screen on the G1 alot of the time.
WP7 is a breeze to use and I actually like it. The keyboard is the best I have used period. WP7 is missing alot of key features but for a brand new OS that has been out only a couple months it is pretty good, much better than Android was in Oct 2008, remember waiting for "Cupcake"?
WP7 is due for a couple updates in the first half of 2011, I anticipate some major improvements if Microsoft plans of capturing market share.
So to answer your question should you get one? I would, thats exactly what I did. The Zune integration is great and if you like games XBOX is all over this phone. WP7 is Microsoft's iOS, it has its own eco system which makes for a nice experience.
i really really want to buy hd7 but i really really want atleast the ability to transfer photos by bluetooth... rest of the cons can be neglected as far as i am concerned. but i will wait for new devices and updates to the software. currently it can be said that hd7 is not the very best of the lot. its better to wait. rest depends from person to person
Love my HD7 too. Though I must admit I also miss my HD2
Looks pretty positive. Polar opposites of what the reviewers said.
I think WP7 has potential. I remember on the G1 how ridiculously awful every application was.
It will be great with an update.
I have been with t mobile for years. I have used a iphone, a g1, nexus one, hd2, and now on the hd7. I miss some things like, copy and paste, custom ringtones, and tethering, but I like the user interface better than anything I have used so far. I think an update, which is rumored to be hitting next month (1/11), would hopefully bring some of these things to the software and that will really make this phone tops in its class.
hiddengopher said:
Hi guys, I currently own a G2 (That I love) and you can see my device history in my sig, which clearly states that I'm an android fan.
However, I always love to try new things, and I'm really liking the simplicity of WP7 as well as the Zune music player.
So I was thinking, the HD7 is damn cheap on eBay right now, why not get one?
Please leave below why I should or should not get an HD7 to use along side my G2 (not at the same time of course).
Thanks!
(this thread is meant to be a reference for future buyers as well, so be critical!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like the phone. The OS makes it feel like an "adult" phone to me. I am coming from an iPhone 4 and Samsung Vibrant. I also like the aesthetics of the phone as well, although I am trying to see if I could ever get a peek at the Dell Venue Pro in person...
The only things I am missing are: Wifi calling and tethering.
Annoyances are: lack of skype, lack of twitter integration in the People hub, and inability to sync multiple Google Calendars.
However, I am more than happy to work around those things and I am enjoying the phone immensely. I am getting poor battery life, but I think that's because it's fresh eye candy and I'm playing with the phone alot.
Also, the Zune Pass saved me from buying two trashy albums already!!!
anyjah said:
I really like the phone. The OS makes it feel like an "adult" phone to me. I am coming from an iPhone 4 and Samsung Vibrant. I also like the aesthetics of the phone as well, although I am trying to see if I could ever get a peek at the Dell Venue Pro in person...
The only things I am missing are: Wifi calling and tethering.
Annoyances are: lack of skype, lack of twitter integration in the People hub, and inability to sync multiple Google Calendars.
However, I am more than happy to work around those things and I am enjoying the phone immensely. I am getting poor battery life, but I think that's because it's fresh eye candy and I'm playing with the phone alot.
Also, the Zune Pass saved me from buying two trashy albums already!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, sounds awesome, as I don't use those things.
The Venue Pro is a POS by the way. I used one at my Microsoft store and it was just terrible. It really felt like plastic. I'm sure you know what I mean if you're coming from a vibrant.
The hinge was pretty bad too. And the keyboard wasn't very nice. Plus, it looks awkward as hell.
Similar thread with poll already exist
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9353155&postcount=1
I really like my hd7 and windows phone 7 because it fits my needs and daily usage. I mean yeah, it lacks a few things such as copy and paste, tethering and multitasking but what a lot of people don't understand that this a fresh, brand new operating system still in its infancy and with Microsoft's big updates coming next month and etc, I think that wp7 will give Android and IOS a run for its money. As for my personal opinion, my hd7 is fast and I can't wait for the upcoming update. Plus everything works out of the box. The email syncing is great, Facebook integration is amazing and the marketplace is really evolving. I have all the apps I really need and they were free.
The hd7 itself feels really sturdy and has a great build quality to it. I don't really care for the camera because I have my canon 5d mark II for that.
hiddengopher said:
Wow, sounds awesome, as I don't use those things.
The Venue Pro is a POS by the way. I used one at my Microsoft store and it was just terrible. It really felt like plastic. I'm sure you know what I mean if you're coming from a vibrant.
The hinge was pretty bad too. And the keyboard wasn't very nice. Plus, it looks awkward as hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*lol* Thanks for the input... I've read differently in the reviews, but if it's anything close to the Vibrant, you're right, I want NO part of it... The RAM controversy with it is driving me away also... so we'll see.....
alesscam said:
Similar thread with poll already exist
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9353155&postcount=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not similar at all. sorry.
i think the phone is worth it. I prefer it to android and ios simply because it is more visually elegant. the one thing that i really appreciate is the integration. All i did was log into gmail, facebook and live and the phone combined all my contacts correctly. there were a dozen names i had to manually set but that was due to them appearing as different contacts (i.e. different names and details).
There are a lot missing but what is there is delightful.
3rd party apps are hit and miss. Alot are not as elegant but some, like nyt app, are really elegant. my initial fear that most developers would not understand the design convention and principles seem to have been true; so far. Metro UI/design is much more abstract than the android/ios designs; which tend to be much more literal.
If you are into taking pictures with your phone, this phone is not the phone for you. If you can deal with blurry pictures it is a great phone
I miss Android only for it's amount of apps but this phone is the best to me on tmobile
What it lacks in functionality it makes up twice as more in User experience
and once it's functionality is onpar with Android, it will be even better
HTC HD7
hey guys just placed my order for it.. should be in my hands in a couple of days.. really excited cos its my first windows phone rather than the a wp7 for that matter. i have been using a galaxy s from the past 4 months and got fed up of delayed updates.. and the whole fragmented system.. The metro UI although new looks more mature and more like one piece. Was actually waiting for a UI overhaul in Gingerbread but seems like that will appear in honeycomb.. but that still is no match fr WP7.. Btw i know this is a bit off topic but have any off you guys have any problems with the touch sensitivity of the screen of the HD7?
spankyu said:
hey guys just placed my order for it.. should be in my hands in a couple of days.. really excited cos its my first windows phone rather than the a wp7 for that matter. i have been using a galaxy s from the past 4 months and got fed up of delayed updates.. and the whole fragmented system.. The metro UI although new looks more mature and more like one piece. Was actually waiting for a UI overhaul in Gingerbread but seems like that will appear in honeycomb.. but that still is no match fr WP7.. Btw i know this is a bit off topic but have any off you guys have any problems with the touch sensitivity of the screen of the HD7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a problem with the program 'moBudget' in which there is a tiny 8pt font link that I have trouble getting to... But other than that, I haven't noticed many problems; although, I am certain I've had to double tap somethings since I have had the phone. Overall, probably 8/10...
anyjah said:
I have a problem with the program 'moBudget' in which there is a tiny 8pt font link that I have trouble getting to... But other than that, I haven't noticed many problems; although, I am certain I've had to double tap somethings since I have had the phone. Overall, probably 8/10...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool thanks. hope all goes good with piece that i ordered
I posted this on another board a few days ago... Comparing a Desire HD to a HD7
Bought a Desire HD yesterday (£240 brand new from CEX - traded some stuff in) seems pretty nice, seems like an improvement over the Desire - some nice little tweaks across the whole Sense experiance.
Strangely my problem is not with the Desire HD itself, its with Andriod. Last month I had a WP7 - HD7 land in my lap. They are pretty much the same unit (except for the camera) same form factor with some different button placement. In recent months i've been taking a step back from my whole "Smartphone" experinence. Re evaluating what i use it for and how i use it.
Essentials:
PIM functions (calendar, mail etc)
A bit of Gaming
Access to the news (tech, local, National, International, Gaming, entertainment etc)
Music & Media
As long as i have those i'm happy. Its all well and good having 1,000,000 apps but if you only use 5 its pretty pointless. So what you need to know is do they have the ones you want?
My first impression of the DHD was what the hell did HTC do with the cover at the back? It doesn't fit properly. Its not flush at the sides - the Engadget review mentions it too so its not just my example. Seems a shame that after designing a beautiful flagship device you let it down with something so minor. Other than that though its pretty nice.
Once i turned it on i was impressed by the speed - how quick does this baby boot!! However, after that my problems returned. Problems might be the wrong word here, what struck me was the complexity of the Robot after a almost a month with WP7. Andriod feels bloated and fat and the handset can be a little sluggish at times which concidering the speed of the CPU is a disappointment. It took me a while to get it setup as i like it, so its now almost a a carbon copy of my old Desire (only its not rooted yet). WP7 "Metro UI" is like a breath of fresh air compared to Andriod. After all Andriod is pretty much iOS (minus the widgets) 4x4 icons across several screens with app icons to press. Granted the intergation of the OS is much more pronounced than iOS which is just an app launcher at the end day and works in Andriods favour, however it can make it an unweldy beast to setup. Metro works on an almost 3D layed effect using different images that scroll at different speeds. Its hard to explain you have ot se it. the IMDb app is beautiful to look at and looks better than any other version odf it i've seen. There is a lot of potential in "Metro". I will offer a word of caution though. It can have the habit of chopping of the end of words in some menus, your eiher going to like this or hate it.
WP7 is a breeze to setup but thats because there isn't much to setup. Instead of the usual "4x4" arrangment and screens that move left to right (or vice versa) WP7 opts for a vertical menu that is as long as you want it to be. instead of icons they arte callled "tiles" and some of them are "live tiles". This means that they constntly update with info. For example, if you place a contact tile on ou homescreen it will show a picture of them and their latest facebook update. You can add tiles for apps, contacts, albums, artists. Its a very nice way of doing things slightly differently from iOS and Andriod.
The one thing that Andriod does very badly is Music, yes it has lots of good music players but syncing music/podcasts etc is a pain compered to the iPhone. WP7 doesn't have this problem as it uses "Zune" and the streaming music service and it is lovely, very easy to use and very fast and is present across my whole network. The intergration with my PC, existing music collection and my Xbox 360 is pretty seemless. Andriod cant compete with that i'm afriad. I'd even go as far to say that anyone using a Windows PC would benefit from this over using iTunes and an iPhone 4. iTunes was always a dog on a PC. Zune is a very competent peice of software. It's fast and very easy to use, is fully featured and easily ass good at iTunes in terms of functionality.
It would be unfair not to mention "GAMING". The "Xbox Live" brand will have this one nailed in a very short space of time. The games i have so far are excellent, yes some of them have cost me money but hey you get what you pay for. Its been a buzz to get "Achievements" on the train on the way to work. Andriod is hampered by the broad tech base of the handsets - different resolutions etc.
So App stores? the Andriod market is dauting place i think most of us would agree it has a lot of diamonds in the rough and a lot of rubbish apps but i guess thats the nature of "open source". But it has most of the things you want. The WP7 "marketplace" is growing at around 150 apps a day and i have to say some of them are pretty impressive. Because M$ have choosen to follow apple with the walled garden approach the quality of the apps is very good. Its still got a very long way to go but what i've seen so far the quality will be threre
WP7 has a number of week spots mostly around calendars and PIM fuctions that are not good as Andriod, but that said i am a "Google" user I was disappointed to find out that the calendar cant handle multiple calendars (i had 11 different ones covering different aspects of my life) I'm sure they will fix this an fure updates as "outlook" calendars already work. I'm not sure if i will keep the DHD at this stage as i'm missing the simplicity of WP7 and its intergration with my home network/PC and xbox live. Its a very nice device but im not sure, i think M$ may have just won me back.
Before it came out i was very dismissive of WP7 "why are M$ bothering" "it will be rubbish". I was wrong, very wrong. Botton line, this is the best OS first release of an OS I've seen. It feels far more complete than either early Andriod or iPhone releases. Its an excellent effort. However, it still go some way to go before it catches up with iOS or the Robot. It will be one to watch in the coming years, be real interesting to see what its like in a couple of years.
I think discusing the hardware is a bit of moot point but if i had to pick, i'd like WP7 on the DHD hardware - the DHD is without doubt one of the finest peices of hardware i've ever used, its beautiful, i can see why DHD owners are so happy with it.
I predicted sometime ago that Andriod WILL be the dominant phone OS and see no reason to change that prediction. Wheather WP7 can catch up to iOS is hugely debatable going forward but this is a very solid start and i am totally smitten with it, there is a lot to love and even more to like. It nice to know that i will never have to install iTunes again as i have TWO solid choices for smartphone OS other than the dreaded fruit mobile and the guy with only one set of clothes.
I dont think its the finished article by a long way. But it really does show great promise. Indeed, right now i have HD7 and DHD on my desk and my chosen daily phone is the WP7 device. In many areas nowhere near as good as Andriod but I can overlook them because i just love how it works, it feels light and nimble to use. I dont want anyone to think i have a downer on the DHD or Andriod I love them both. But right now its WP7 thats floating my boat. Its going to be interesting to watch it develop in the coming years.
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Im in the same boat. Im a big Android guy but I love the look and feel of WP7. Every time i pass by the tmobile store i stop in and play with the HD7. Just saw one on craigslist for a good price, think i might finally dive in.
MvP77 said:
Im in the same boat. Im a big Android guy but I love the look and feel of WP7. Every time i pass by the tmobile store i stop in and play with the HD7. Just saw one on craigslist for a good price, think i might finally dive in.
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same...my G2 is great but WP7 is so sexy
Ive been seriously looking at the WP7 series and I'm curious to hear from real-world users who have been in the same boat as me. I've been an Android person for the past year now and as much as I like Android, I like to keep my options open too!
So tell me - why did YOU switch from Android to WP7 and would you do it again if you had the chance ?
I've been playing with WP7, mostly to see what "the other side" has been up to. I've had WinCE devices going back to the 1.x days, and always loved it, but trying to cram a desktop OS into a hand-held device always seemed awkward.
I got an iPhone and loved it for a couple of years, but got handed a G1 and fell in love with the potential that Android represented. It wasn't quite "there" yet, so I switched back and forth from Android to iOS and back for a good year before settling full-time with Android on my Nexus One.
Now I've got a Nexus-S and I love it, but I was able to play with a WP7 device in the form of the HD7, and I really like it, however...
Coming from Android, Google's services, search, GMail, and Maps, are so much better in ability than Bing, Hotmail, and Bing Maps that I missed my Nexus S. I love the user-interface of WP7, and hope that it evolves a bit more.
WP7's approach to real-time usability is great. Apps are smooth and clean, and much less jerky than Android apps seem to be at times. The OS seems well suited to doing one thing at a time, really well. I wish Android was better at maintaining higher priority for foreground apps, instead of making things choppy with garbage-collection.
If you have a chance to wait until the January (now February) update happens, I would. Things could get much better for WP7 very soon, but who knows? I'm keeping my options open.
the biggest disappointment is in Bing and Zune services. Since their not available in Ireland. The prolonged wait for update kinda adds up too
Though otherwise than that its all ok
I had a HD2 with Android and reason why i sold it because once i played with WP7 i felt that Androids UI was so boring.
Games on WP7 are much better too than Android. Alot of devs from iPhone have hopped aboard.
Anyone else? This is good stuff! Keep it coming!
I still use my android from day to day. They se the best overall in terms of a combination of things such as features and useability. Tho WP7 has a slick UI its missing things like the gmail intergration and Google maps, but it has a music client that's not as good as iTunes. Then there is iOS, its great, easy to use, simple, and reliable, at the end of the day that's what makes IOS sell, just like variety is what makes android sell. For WP7 to catch up they need to release a groundbreaker, something that blows the competition away spec wise. I played with a Samsung WP7 At att the other day while stopping in to see an old friend, windows on a phone has came a long way since WinMo6.5. I will say that. It just depends on what u want at the end of the day
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
I think you should check this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=900747
i move to wp7, because i simple hates its lag and UI..
I've been an Android user since the G1 days and this may sound stupid, but the main reasons i switched is because Android is FAR too customizable. To some, that can be a bad thing. I found myself changing themes, layouts, icon sets, etc.. way more than i should, which took up far too much time in my day. I never really had a feeling of satisfaction with Android. Thats the first thing. The second thing is the force closures and the occasional lag (I came from a G2 so it definitely wasn't my device) Android is an awesome platform, however, I still feel like its something Google just slapped together, even if thats not the case. the third thing is its lack of consistency. like i said earlier, i customized my ROMs a lot. My home screens, icon sets, fonts, and launcher theme all were consistent. Then when you open an app (the dialer for example) its a whole different look. This may not bother some people but it bothered me quite a bit and im sure im not the only one. Im not saying WP7 is perfect because its far from that. BUT i love the consistency throughout the platform, even when you download apps from the market, most of them seem to follow that metro UI interface. the fact that its customization is limited to tile placement and color gives me a sense of satisfaction knowing that there is no other way you could have it, which means less time trying to get it the way you want it. I also love the smoothness as well. the fact that it does not support multi tasking has yet to bother me as I never really do more than one thing on my phone anyway. I am, however, frustrated with the lack of copy/paste (which will be fixed soon) and lets not forget the dreadful marketplace which locks up randomly causing users to reboot. I also am disappointed in Bing maps. i would much rather prefer to use Google maps. its just easier. The only thing i can truly say i miss from Android is the WIFI calling. I spend most of my time in my basement. I hardly get signal except for one corner. at the end of the day, i am happier with WP7 because of its simplicity, performance, and ease of use as well as its "polished" feel.
Nissan350 said:
I've been an Android user since the G1 days and this may sound stupid, but the main reasons i switched is because Android is FAR too customizable. To some, that can be a bad thing. I found myself changing themes, layouts, icon sets, etc.. way more than i should, which took up far too much time in my day.
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I'm glad I am not the only one who actually finds that Android is TOO customizable. I find myself spending hours each day fiddling with it!
JWhipple said:
I'm glad I am not the only one who actually finds that Android is TOO customizable. I find myself spending hours each day fiddling with it!
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Lol, I'm glad you can see where I'm coming from
irispen said:
I think you should check this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=900747
i move to wp7, because i simple hates its lag and UI..
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me same like u.been use nexus one for a year.tired about android.but maybe will switch back to android again who know..
Nissan350 said:
...the third thing is its lack of consistency. like i said earlier, i customized my ROMs a lot. My home screens, icon sets, fonts, and launcher theme all were consistent. Then when you open an app (the dialer for example) its a whole different look. This may not bother some people but it bothered me quite a bit and im sure im not the only one...
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Okay, this is not directed toward you at all, but all of this sounds very familiar and it kinda explains a lot about what people's issues MIGHT be with WP7.
Everything you said is Windows Mobile all over again, and that is not a bad thing at all. I loved WM, and it's versatility IMO were what made it so great. So much about Android screams WM to me.
I come to these forums and I see people crying like little girls over and over about what WP7 doesn't do, have, etc and it just makes me feel like they want a super updated WM device. They want the absolute best of the best that WM has to offer... but they want it out of WP7. I see their issues, but this is a completely different device all together, and to ask it to be WM is kinda ignorant. So to those people I think they should run to Android and call it a day.
While I'm on this rant (and hella off-topic) I see a lot of short term memories when people start to cying about WP. It doesn't have this, and that like Android and ios. Wait a minute... everything you want, and they FINALLY have has been in WM for YEARS. None of this started with the new-booty competition. If MS didn't let me down with WM I doubt I'll be let down by WP7.. and so far I'm about as happy as I can be with a mobile device.
Once again, not directed toward you specifically, but you brought up some things that I've been thinking about.
Truer Words.
Sean D. said:
Okay, this is not directed toward you at all, but all of this sounds very familiar and it kinda explains a lot about what people's issues MIGHT be with WP7.
Everything you said is Windows Mobile all over again, and that is not a bad thing at all. I loved WM, and it's versatility IMO were what made it so great. So much about Android screams WM to me.
I come to these forums and I see people crying like little girls over and over about what WP7 doesn't do, have, etc and it just makes me feel like they want a super updated WM device. They want the absolute best of the best that WM has to offer... but they want it out of WP7. I see their issues, but this is a completely different device all together, and to ask it to be WM is kinda ignorant. So to those people I think they should run to Android and call it a day.
While I'm on this rant (and hella off-topic) I see a lot of short term memories when people start to cying about WP. It doesn't have this, and that like Android and ios. Wait a minute... everything you want, and they FINALLY have has been in WM for YEARS. None of this started with the new-booty competition. If MS didn't let me down with WM I doubt I'll be let down by WP7.. and so far I'm about as happy as I can be with a mobile device.
Once again, not directed toward you specifically, but you brought up some things that I've been thinking about.
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Good points. I'm very happy with WP7 and it feels great to be off Android. The platform is still in its infancy and there is not a doubt in my mind that it will evolve and become even better than it already is. Of course, the evolution would just be added pluses.
Nissan350 said:
I've been an Android user since the G1 days and this may sound stupid, but the main reasons i switched is because Android is FAR too customizable. To some, that can be a bad thing. I found myself changing themes, layouts, icon sets, etc.. way more than i should, which took up far too much time in my day. I never really had a feeling of satisfaction with Android. Thats the first thing. The second thing is the force closures and the occasional lag (I came from a G2 so it definitely wasn't my device) Android is an awesome platform, however, I still feel like its something Google just slapped together, even if thats not the case. the third thing is its lack of consistency. like i said earlier, i customized my ROMs a lot. My home screens, icon sets, fonts, and launcher theme all were consistent. Then when you open an app (the dialer for example) its a whole different look. This may not bother some people but it bothered me quite a bit and im sure im not the only one. Im not saying WP7 is perfect because its far from that. BUT i love the consistency throughout the platform, even when you download apps from the market, most of them seem to follow that metro UI interface. the fact that its customization is limited to tile placement and color gives me a sense of satisfaction knowing that there is no other way you could have it, which means less time trying to get it the way you want it. I also love the smoothness as well. the fact that it does not support multi tasking has yet to bother me as I never really do more than one thing on my phone anyway. I am, however, frustrated with the lack of copy/paste (which will be fixed soon) and lets not forget the dreadful marketplace which locks up randomly causing users to reboot. I also am disappointed in Bing maps. i would much rather prefer to use Google maps. its just easier. The only thing i can truly say i miss from Android is the WIFI calling. I spend most of my time in my basement. I hardly get signal except for one corner. at the end of the day, i am happier with WP7 because of its simplicity, performance, and ease of use as well as its "polished" feel.
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couldnt have said it better myself
what ticked me off about android was the overall inconsistancy in both looks and performance, and until now that i own a wp7 device, i never understood by what ios and webos users said when they called it "clunky". now if i see what i saw in the honeycomb demo come in some way or form to smartphones (awesome graphical interface, ease of multitasking, and overall polish and consistantcy) i will come back in no time. but untill then, thanks to the mess that is software updates for android. the only one i would consider is a nexus device, and i dont plan on jumping through hoops to get one till i see the update and basic overhaul it needs. im perfectly happy with my hd7
JWhipple said:
Ive been seriously looking at the WP7 series and I'm curious to hear from real-world users who have been in the same boat as me. I've been an Android person for the past year now and as much as I like Android, I like to keep my options open too!
So tell me - why did YOU switch from Android to WP7 and would you do it again if you had the chance ?
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Click to collapse
Been using Android for almost a year now..through work I'm getting newer Android and newer WP7 devices. It started with the Desire Z (G2) and the LG Optimus Quantum.
I don't care how pretty your OS is, there's no love for that phone. It's a piece of crap regular phone loaded with a smartphone OS. Absolute trash, my SIM sat in it for a day, and sadly because of the lack of usability on the device (size, build, LG..) I couldn't give WP7 a fair chance.
However, recently got the HD7 and a certain dual core device, and I can't make a decision. I personally love customization, so Android is literally endless and fresh to me. However, I'm a huge Hotmail supporter (GMail isn't that great, there's a reason Hotmail is still number 1 webmail worldwide..) and firmly believe the Email application built into WP7 (the Hotmail one) looks better, works better, and - for me - is better than the GMail app ever will be. It looks slick, it works well, it's pretty, etc.
With the HD7, it's actually a device that can showboat the features of the OS - however, there's only like..two. Office, and these boring tiles. Yes, it's simple, yes, it's easy, if I wanted that, I'd use a laptop and a normal phone. I want complicated, I want to be able to do everything, which is why I still use Android. At the same time, there's something refreshing about WP7 and the simplicity, but I find entirely too often I go to do something, grab the HD7, find it's not available or built in, sigh, and pull out my Android device.
Another huge slam on WP7 is this micro SD bull****. I can drag and drop anything on any Android device, you're telling me it's that hard to let people use external storage?
No, because I use a Macbook (primary booting OS X) with W7, I'm forced to use W7 because there's one incredibly ****ty option for Mac syncing. I'd rather have a cluttered ass SD card with dragged files than EVER use WMP as my "media hub" or whatever. I don't use iPhoto. I use iTunes for organization, but that's it. However, if I want ANYTHING on my WP7 device, I'm forced to use these stupid Apple applications (and a beta app from Microsoft) I deleted because of massive bloat just to transfer stuff? Ridiculous. Build a frigging mount into it or let us use SD cards.
Sorry. That's a massive, massive frustration for me.
Anyways, that's my take. Android and WP7 are not on the same level. I see WP7 as a high end regular phone, and Android as an actual smartphone. I'm sure this opinion could change depending on the expansion of the OS and the Marketplace, but right now, the OS is way too young and has a serious "polished, but unfinished" feel to it. WP7 could be good and I could use it regularly..in a few years. Not now. I'm going to continue giving WP7 a try, as there are things that are impressing me.
For example, Bing Maps is definitely not as feature rich as Google Maps, but holy hell does it lock well. GMaps is only good if you can get a damn GPS lock, and people can say "oh, it's usually fine" but after a year I have to yet to see the GPS work nearly as well in any ROM or OS on Android compared to WP7, so props to them for getting that right. The Email is really nice (as a consistent Hotmail user) texting is pretty bland, the Contacts or People or whatever is totally convoluted and unnecessary, I don't know how they managed to complicate something so simple. If I wanted to see facebook, I'd open it. I just want my damn contact list. Android has perfected this as far as I'm concerned, as it's "Person --- Phone button to call" and that's all there needs to be. You can click their contact card to get more information if need be.
The marketplace needs some work, definitely needs more sections like the Android Market (Communications - Free / Paid, Whatever - Free / Paid) as opposed to just Free EVERYTHING, or mixed paid / free in sections. I definitely don't think the Android Market is perfect, but it's definitely more usable than the Windows Marketplace.
Hmm.. Internet Explorer is really nice, it works surprisingly well for a browser I haven't even looked at in almost 10 years. I was pleasantly surprised, I was dreading that I couldn't use anything else, but Microsoft did a great job. It looks nice, it's not exactly feature rich, but it's snappy, clean, and responsive.
The music / videos app is alright, nothing special but not definitely usable and looks good.
The fact that MSN Messenger was NOT included in the OS completely deadpanned me, how the hell do you forget what was at one point your bread and butter? It would literally be like Google forgetting GTalk, it wouldn't happen. I don't like the MSN application that is available has to resume every time the phone sleeps, waste of a good 10 seconds. Facebook works fine.. Phone is fine, the simplicity gets in the way of speakerphone and stuff if you forget what little tab they're under, but whatever, it works.
Calendar is GREAT, I love the way it's set up, it looks really good.
Microsoft Office is amazing...works really well.
I think I covered everything? I know I kind of went off in some areas, but just my opinions..
Oh, I miss having an actual wallpaper. I don't care if I couldn't see 90% of it, better than just black. Maybe I have a special someone I'd like to see as my wallpaper for more than the half a second it takes me to unlock my phone. Oh well.
GlitchZero said:
No, because I use a Macbook (primary booting OS X) with W7, I'm forced to use W7 because there's one incredibly ****ty option for Mac syncing. I'd rather have a cluttered ass SD card with dragged files than EVER use WMP as my "media hub" or whatever. I don't use iPhoto. I use iTunes for organization, but that's it. However, if I want ANYTHING on my WP7 device, I'm forced to use these stupid Apple applications (and a beta app from Microsoft) I deleted because of massive bloat just to transfer stuff? Ridiculous. Build a frigging mount into it or let us use SD cards.
Sorry. That's a massive, massive frustration for me.
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Zune works well for media once you get the hang of it, and since you like your Live account so much, utilize the SkyDrive feature for cloud storage of documents. This second comment on this thread is a great idea for how to quickly access it...
http://social.answers.microsoft.com...7/thread/56adcec6-08ce-4d86-aa67-27dda1433fa0
Yes, access to the SD card would be nice. I suppose they're looking to cut down on support calls?
Android is not a phone; its a geeky toy
I bought an HTC Desire in August 2009. My HTC TyTN had just died and I couldn't wait for the late release of WP7. Android was such a disappointment. Market was unavailable in Sweden (it is open now), the UI looked disgustingly ugly and the whole experience was so much lower than descent. The only thing I really loved about Android was the notification system. I also have an iPhone so Android's notification system seemed totally like a blessing. Nevertheless Android just felt like another Google experiment. A geeky toy for Google lovers. I'm not a Google lover. Not because their products are so bad; They are bad, but I could forgive that. What I can't stand in Google is their daily bragging about their coolness all over the web while their products are actually years behind what they could really be had they cared about anything else than selling ads and hooking people onto their so called platform(s). So if I am to make a compromise on a product I am really more willing to compromise for Microsoft. Unlike newcomers like Google, Microsoft has proven over the years that they do have a vision about software and they do work on it. Google has no vision about the web other than dominance. They have a vision about advertising. My "vision" about advertising is that it is an old solution to an old problem which I'm not so sure will even exist for long in the so called "new economy". So I just sold my HTC Desire and bought an HTC HD7. I know that I will miss the WiFi tethering of my HTC Desire. Hopefully not for long. Like I said I can make a compromise for Microsoft but find it pointless to make a compromise for Google.
Android just felt cluttered to me. Yes, you can customize it as much as you want but personally I dislike the mess of widgets and icons. I was never happy with my home pages.
My phone doubles as my MP3 player and the WP7 audio playback is much better because of the HD7's sound enhancer. The sound equalizer I had on Android would only work on MP3s, not on other file types.
Pinch to zoom to WP7 is really really really good. Also the GPS on my HD7 finds my position significantly faster than my Android phone (would take several minutes to lock on). Bing maps really isn't bad so I don't know what the fuss is about. Sure there's no voice navigation, but I never used it when I had Android anyway.
Anyway my main reason for switching was that I hated being left behind while new phones are released with updates. Literally the way to upgrade with Android is to buy a new phone or root the phone. Problem with rooting is that each ROM has it's own little quirks and I didn't want to sacrifice functionality just to see a higher build number. IMO if you have to root in order to have the phone "work" then you're doing it wrong.
I do miss some things like the control panel and swype, but that's about it. So far so good.
I think from most of the posts above we can agree that WP7 is a clean functional minimal UI. And once the update comes in it will be one to brag about
ex-android user
I love android, and I still own several Android Devices, and I've been using android since the G1. Android (like many have said before me) reminds me a lot of Windows Mobile (and I loved windows mobile).
Why I made the switch:
Well, not to offend anyone, but WP7 seems to be a more mature OS, not in terms of functionality, but in terms of it's minimalist approach.
It's like comparing:
A tricked out Honda: http://www.remarkablecars.com/main/honda/tricked-out-honda.jpg
and a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: http://photos.leftlanenews.com/phot...mbnailsnew/me-cadillac-cts-v-coupe-09_620.jpg
It's probably faster, and more elegant, but less flashy, and less customizable.
Ultimately it's a matter of preference, personally I'd chose the Caddy