[Q] To N1, or Not To N1: Help w/Multitouch - Nexus One Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've been obsessing over the N1 since launch. Android is super neat, and unlocked phones rock. The only thing that really held me back from the purchase was the multitouch issue. I could easily see having to reset my screen with a lock cycle would drive me crazy. That said, I love the idea of the N1, and wish to escape my iPhone prison.
I recently purchased a Galaxy S phone, but am annoyed by the lack of support (saw this coming) and non-functioning locational services. The GPS and Compass are totally and utterly busted. Sadly, Google stopped selling the N1 on the day I decided to order one. However, I have been given a second chance, by purchasing the dev phone (which I am now considering).
So, let's make this like ripping off a bandage. Have mercy, internet. I have questions that require honest answers. I'm sorry if you've heard it all before, but this kind of information is annoyingly hard to dig up. Lightning Round, Go!:
Is the multitouch problem with the N1 (inverse axis swapping when two points cross) still present with 2.2?
Do any custom ROMs, apps or tweaks solve this issue? I read that the Moto Droid had a software setting ticked that allows proper multitouch (a sort of software hack), that google had not opted to enable by default? Sounds a bit silly to me, but what's the deal?
Does your screen still lose track of your fingers (inputing the wrong characters on the keyboard), causing you to lock cycle your screen to reset the digitizer?
Are the touch-buttons difficult to use?
A fellow N1 owner I met told me that his phone showed no signs of the multitouch 'bug', when using 'Multitouch Vis Test'. He said he was running the Modaco ROM. Is it true that something in this ROM fixes the multitouch problem?
Thank you, Princes of Internet.

Personally i dont experience any multitouch issues on my n1. Im running stock froyo 2.2. I have only had to re-lock my screen once and it never happened again. The capicative buttons below the screen take a bit of time to get used to at first it might take you a couple of tries to register a click but a few hours of use you get the hang of it.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Thanks for the reply.
Would you mind taking the 'Multitouch Vis Test' app for a spin, to see if the problem is gone, or if you just don't notice it?
If the issue is gone, would you mind making a youtube vid of it?

The multitouch on the n1 will not be "fixed" unless google/htc decided to use different hardware. If you can live with a device that can only do pinch to zoom, but not true multitouch, then the n1 is fine.
Honestly at this point, I'd hold off until you see the rest of HTC's lineup that's coming up before december.

Jon C said:
Is the multitouch problem with the N1 (inverse axis swapping when two points cross) still present with 2.2?
Do any custom ROMs, apps or tweaks solve this issue? I read that the Moto Droid had a software setting ticked that allows proper multitouch (a sort of software hack), that google had not opted to enable by default? Sounds a bit silly to me, but what's the deal?
Does your screen still lose track of your fingers (inputing the wrong characters on the keyboard), causing you to lock cycle your screen to reset the digitizer?
Are the touch-buttons difficult to use?
A fellow N1 owner I met told me that his phone showed no signs of the multitouch 'bug', when using 'Multitouch Vis Test'. He said he was running the Modaco ROM. Is it true that something in this ROM fixes the multitouch problem?
Thank you, Princes of Internet.
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1) It was possibly noticable in 2.1, in 2.2 in months now I havn't see it once. You can see with the visualiser you really have to know how to force it to get it to go, its just not something which will occur with correct commands you'll be doing.
2) Its down to the hardware, I'm not aware of any custom ROMs which have anything/anything significant.
3) The only time I EVER get this is with beta super bundles of ROMs, which is either the fault of the ROM, something going skitz in dalvic, how I installed it, or just a self generating bug. All of which are easily fixable. However if you were to stay with stock or more tested ROMs, you'd literally never see this.
4) For me they just work, at the start yes they wouldnt act the same a touch screen, but now they'll act like I want maybe 99% of the time. Sure friends using it to start with have to get used to it, but its not 'broken' if you will. The only thing I will mention is if your using it in weird orientations, there is a chance of hitting the buttons [mainly search] without meaning to with parts of your hand.
5) Again, this problem ONLY shows up if you know how to 'break' it. With 2.2+ its really hard to do it if you handed the phone to someone who's never used it before, because also again you wont be doing any commands which would conflict with the limitations, so you have to be misusing it in the first place to get the bug.

JCopernicus said:
Honestly at this point, I'd hold off until you see the rest of HTC's lineup that's coming up before december.
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Agree with this.

Multitouch is completely crap on the n1. I loved it otherwise, yes every now and again it goes wack and registers the wrong thing... the capacitive buttons also suck and are hard to get used to... on Multitouch test its wacky and registers the wrong finger and won't register more than 2...
Great device, but galaxy is better.. I don't have any gps issues so can't complain about that.
No. No roms will fix the Multitouch issue. Nor make it any better.. if your into gaming with controls on the same axis forget about it, if ya want Multitouch keyboard forget about it...

I still have yet to ever experience the actual axis switch issue using this phone in real world. Sure the issue exists, but it just doesn't effect a single thing unless you use a certain game. But even that works fine, watch YouTube videos showing emulators on the nexus.
The point is, if you're looking for a reason to not get the nexus, The axis switch issue is not the reason that should sway your decision.

I recently came from an iPhone and I haven't noticed any difference in the multi-touch screen (except maybe in the typing on occasion, which I just attributed to my big fingers). I'd say for a good 95%+ of what you would do on the phone you can't tell any difference between the iPhone or N1 multitouch.
With the touch buttons on the bottom of the screen... Sometimes I hit one while typing, which takes me back to the home screen, but since the N1 has true multitasking all I have to do is reopen the app. A minor inconvenience. Or I could just type in landscape mode and not have any trouble at all.

RogerPodacter said:
I still have yet to ever experience the actual axis switch issue using this phone in real world. Sure the issue exists, but it just doesn't effect a single thing unless you use a certain game. But even that works fine, watch YouTube videos showing emulators on the nexus.
The point is, if you're looking for a reason to not get the nexus, The axis switch issue is not the reason that should sway your decision.
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Games like toonWarz or nova will mess up. Has the controls on bottom right and shooting on bottom right. So when your running using the left controls and shoot real quick with the right, it'll now wig out and keep shooting even when you let go and the dude will walk a different way be cause now the sensor thinks your touching in a different spot..
Now you can let go of the left finger then shoot but when ya need precision in some shooting games you will be dead if you do that....
Pinch to zoom is fine and emulators with controls on the top and bottom vs just the bottom ( same axis), but for games like nova, heavy gunner, modern combat, ps1 emulator (unless it has opposite axis controls) which mine don't, took Warz, etc. It will not work properly ....

smashpunks said:
Games like toonWarz or nova will mess up. Has the controls on bottom right and shooting on bottom right. So when your running using the left controls and shoot real quick with the right, it'll now wig out and keep shooting even when you let go and the dude will walk a different way be cause now the sensor thinks your touching in a different spot..
Now you can let go of the left finger then shoot but when ya need precision in some shooting games you will be dead if you do that....
Pinch to zoom is fine and emulators with controls on the top and bottom vs just the bottom ( same axis), but for games like nova, heavy gunner, modern combat, ps1 emulator (unless it has opposite axis controls) which mine don't, took Warz, etc. It will not work properly ....
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this is a good explanation of what is effected. if you're a big gamer then consider it, but things like pinch to zoom in the browser, maps, pics, works just as great as ever.

Thanks for the feedback, guys.
Coming from the Galaxy S, I imagine I will miss a few things. One of them being: media playback and overall storage.
I guess with the N1, I'd need to find a non-bootlegged 32GB microSD card. But my other question would be: is there an easy way to play all of the content that the Galaxy S can handle, or is the GPU in the Samsung phone so much better that the N1 can't keep up?
I really like that about the SGS: I just drop movies (mp4, xvid, divx and so forth) onto the internal ROM and they play without issue. Media capabilities are very nice.
Does the N1 play lots of videos like this out of the box? If not, is there a decent media application?
Also, about HTC's other devices: I'd love to wait, but I'm worried that the newer phones won't have nice accessories. The N1 has that awesome car dock, that I would use all of the time. The SGS doesn't have any accessories like that, and it makes me sad. Most of HTC's N1 follow-up lacked similar docks and cradles.
If I return this SGS (likely), I will probably be jumping to the N1, just for that 'official' feel of it (very sturdy, solid first-party accessories).
You have no idea how sad I was, when Google announced they were giving up on creating their own phones. Hate them all you want: but Apple really has that system (solid build, quality integration / lack of fragmentation) nailed. I was really hoping that Google could bring that unification to Android with their own branded devices.
Loving Android, though. Never going back to iOS.

Anyone saying the n1 doesn't suffer from multitouch issues is sadly mistaken. The one thing that bugs me about the n1 is the touch screen issue. You won't be able to play games like nova, or certain games on emulators (when using dpad plus buttons that are at the same level it has issues) and it does have issues when crossing the axises.

mjm128 said:
Anyone saying the n1 doesn't suffer from multitouch issues is sadly mistaken. The one thing that bugs me about the n1 is the touch screen issue. You won't be able to play games like nova, or certain games on emulators (when using dpad plus buttons that are at the same level it has issues) and it does have issues when crossing the axises.
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everyone said the issue exists it just doesnt show up unless you...play....games. otherwise its a non issue.

The N1's touchscreen is totaly crap. There is a thread about touchscreen issues at oficial forum. It has more than 2000 posts explaning all problems of nexus one touchscreen. Check it out.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Jon C said:
Thanks for the feedback, guys.
Coming from the Galaxy S, I imagine I will miss a few things. One of them being: media playback and overall storage.
I guess with the N1, I'd need to find a non-bootlegged 32GB microSD card. But my other question would be: is there an easy way to play all of the content that the Galaxy S can handle, or is the GPU in the Samsung phone so much better that the N1 can't keep up?
I really like that about the SGS: I just drop movies (mp4, xvid, divx and so forth) onto the internal ROM and they play without issue. Media capabilities are very nice.
Does the N1 play lots of videos like this out of the box? If not, is there a decent media application?
Also, about HTC's other devices: I'd love to wait, but I'm worried that the newer phones won't have nice accessories. The N1 has that awesome car dock, that I would use all of the time. The SGS doesn't have any accessories like that, and it makes me sad. Most of HTC's N1 follow-up lacked similar docks and cradles.
If I return this SGS (likely), I will probably be jumping to the N1, just for that 'official' feel of it (very sturdy, solid first-party accessories).
You have no idea how sad I was, when Google announced they were giving up on creating their own phones. Hate them all you want: but Apple really has that system (solid build, quality integration / lack of fragmentation) nailed. I was really hoping that Google could bring that unification to Android with their own branded devices.
Loving Android, though. Never going back to iOS.
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The gpu is OK. But definitely a lot less powerful than the sgs, you will notice in movies, live wallpapers and especially games... there's a decent video player called rockplayer that plays a lot of stuff like avi and xvid , but its not ad good as the sgs player ...
Put it this way, either stay sgs and have a not so well navigation but awesome everything elsex or go nexus with good GPS but a old touch sensor that will hardly recognize both fingers on anything other than pinch to zoom.....

The only real world scenario i have encountered the axis switch is when you do a pinch on an album in the gallery to have it flick through them, it switches often when doing that.

Nexus One multi-touch sucks for games. I've tried some fancy gameloft games that req two fingers on screen, or PS & gameboy emulators that req this and it drives me insane. Can be so frustrating for gaming and is the only thing that I find a let down for this device. I wish I knew before I purchased it because the gaming although not the only thing I brought it for is something that I thought would be cool on my phone.

Simply put, don't get the N1 if mobile gaming is important to you. I'm not talking about simple single tap games, but the intricate ones (PSX Emu, EA Sports, Gamesloft, etc). If you could live without it, the touchscreen is fine for regular day to day use.

Or just root and carry your favorite bluetooth game controller. I have a mini bt keyboard that works great for emulators

Related

touchscreen inaccurate?

Has anyone else notice the touch screen being very inaccurate on their kaiser? I mostly notice it in the dialer. For example i press 5 and it does 8 instead. Sometimes i even hit 2 and get 8 which is really bizzare. I'm using the HTC dialer, so maybe thats the issue. I'm going to switch to the windows dialer tonight and see if thats any better. I also have problems getting it to recognize presses at all sometimes. Sometimes i have to press the screen so hard that it distorts (i know thats bad for it but i just get so frustrated, especially when the photo album randomly opens while im on the phone, and then when i need to use the keypad I can't get the damn album to close because the screen doesnt recognize my tap, or thinks im tapping somewhere else. I've ran the screen alignment a few times, and tried doing it with my finger and with the stylus. Do i just have a dud?
Josh
Have you tried realigning the screen? Pretty basic stuff.
I have the same exact problem. Especially with the numbers. I switched to the other dialer (no video cal one) and its still the same. I have calibrated tons butits no better.
Yes, as i said, i've ran the screen alignment numerous times, and tried it both with the stylus and with my finger.
yea, i have teh same problem.. its definiately not a realignement problem.
It happens with the htc dialpad, and somtimes the htc skined calculator
i thought maybe it could be touchflo.. i didnt have this problem at all with the 8525
And I thought it just me!
I get this problem too when using the dialler (both HTC and WM6).
Looks like a few of us have this problem. I notice it on the today screen using HTC home, i go to tap the weather icon and end up opening the clock. Try diabling the touch cube (if you have it installed) seemed to improve things for me.
vlad69uk said:
Looks like a few of us have this problem. I notice it on the today screen using HTC home, i go to tap the weather icon and end up opening the clock. Try diabling the touch cube (if you have it installed) seemed to improve things for me.
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I've noticed this. I always align my screen with the stylus to get the best accuracy but when certain app's are loaded that are designed for finger use, they change the touch-screen sensitivity so that when you need to use the stylus again for small items, its all screwed up!
I found if I stick to what the unit is designed for its OK!
Farsquidge said:
I've noticed this. I always align my screen with the stylus to get the best accuracy but when certain app's are loaded that are designed for finger use, they change the touch-screen sensitivity so that when you need to use the stylus again for small items, its all screwed up!
I found if I stick to what the unit is designed for its OK!
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So the Kaiser was not designed to make phone calls? Perhaps you are supposed to only dial people from your contact list (synced from MS Outlook of course) or use MS Voice Command?
jgermuga said:
So the Kaiser was not designed to make phone calls? Perhaps you are supposed to only dial people from your contact list (synced from MS Outlook of course) or use MS Voice Command?
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Oh, here we go...
NO, what I meant is that if you want an iPod type interface then buy one. The 'Kaiser' comes with a stylus that gives you precise touch input.
To use a 'grubby' finger to gain access the touch interface has to be 'DE-Tuned' to accept an approximation input and once an app that does this is installed you will have to accept some changes for precise input apps you already have!
For pity's sake, some people expect things out of this device even a Tablet laptop could not provide!!!
Farsquidge said:
Oh, here we go...
NO, what I meant is that if you want an iPod type interface then buy one. The 'Kaiser' comes with a stylus that gives you precise touch input.
To use a 'grubby' finger to gain access the touch interface has to be 'DE-Tuned' to accept an approximation input and once an app that does this is installed you will have to accept some changes for precise input apps you already have!
For pity's sake, some people expect things out of this device even a Tablet laptop could not provide!!!
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Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I have always found the phone dialer to be a problem and after 4 device iterations and 3 OS iterations, you would think it could be resolved.
Plus, HTC included TouchFlo on this device, which to me is also severely flawed to the point of being worthless. Even so, this sets the expectation that you can use your "grubby" finger when you need to, not only to dial a phone number but to scroll a contact list.
I don't get why you toss out constant excuses for the Kaiser not being designed to do this, that or the other thing. As far as I am concerned, I paid 3 times the cost of a modest dedicated GPS, dedicated PMP and a phone to get it all in one CONVERGED device. If only I wanted a phone, I would have bought a phone, if only I wanted an MPS player I would have bought an MP3 player, etc, etc, but I opted to pay much (much, much) more for the ability to get all these things in ONE device. So why should I not have a right to be disappointed with problems that linger for years and years, or for poor implementation of features that had better support on lesser devices, such as video playback.
Granted, HTC does not out this product as a media player, but given that it is similar in design to previous models, which did at least an adequate job, has left many people who thought they were upgrading feeling disappointed. Plus, it is VERY difficult to try all these features out before making a decision, and when people come to place like this forum to ask questions, they get flamed.
It seems your solution to the disappointment is to buy a fanny pack and load it up with a camera, a game player, an mp3 player, a personal media player, a phone, a GPS... and what the heck, we'll even throw in a Kindle for good measure.
What's up? Do you sell fanny packs?
jgermuga said:
Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I have always found the phone dialer to be a problem and after 4 device iterations and 3 OS iterations, you would think it could be resolved.
Plus, HTC included TouchFlo on this device, which to me is also severely flawed to the point of being worthless. Even so, this sets the expectation that you can use your "grubby" finger when you need to, not only to dial a phone number but to scroll a contact list.
I don't get why you toss out constant excuses for the Kaiser not being designed to do this, that or the other thing. As far as I am concerned, I paid 3 times the cost of a modest dedicated GPS, dedicated PMP and a phone to get it all in one CONVERGED device. If only I wanted a phone, I would have bought a phone, if only I wanted an MPS player I would have bought an MP3 player, etc, etc, but I opted to pay much (much, much) more for the ability to get all these things in ONE device. So why should I not have a right to be disappointed with problems that linger for years and years, or for poor implementation of features that had better support on lesser devices, such as video playback.
Granted, HTC does not out this product as a media player, but given that it is similar in design to previous models, which did at least an adequate job, has left many people who thought they were upgrading feeling disappointed. Plus, it is VERY difficult to try all these features out before making a decision, and when people come to place like this forum to ask questions, they get flamed.
It seems your solution to the disappointment is to buy a fanny pack and load it up with a camera, a game player, an mp3 player, a personal media player, a phone, a GPS... and what the heck, we'll even throw in a Kindle for good measure.
What's up? Do you sell fanny packs?
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My only advice to people who constantly moan about the device like you do is take it back or sell it!!
It obviously is not what you want so why do you keep it??
Sure, that's easy to say. I'll just go and drop another $500+ on a phone and memory card. What the heck. It's only money, right? And while I'm at it, I'll just plop down another $200 for getting out of my AT&T contract. And then keep my fingers crossed I can get a decent price off eBay. And that's even before spending time reflashing the AT&t ROM to stock and getting an unlock code. Cmon, get real.
If the Nokia N95 had a touch screen or the Sony W960i had support for AT&T bands, I would have already dropped this model. I could use a break from WinMo anyway. To bad Symbian isn't as popular on this side of the pond.
Otherwise, I don't see any non-HTC phones other then the E-Ten X800 that I would consider a major upgrade to my 8125. I sat on the sidelines for the Tytn I because I wanted on board GPS. What a poor tradeoff that turned out to be. It is likely I will wind up going with a T-Mobile Shadow keep the phone and and break the contract, which would still be cheaper than what I paid for the Tilt after the AT&T deal. Hopefully I'll be able to come out even after all is said and done. At least it is smaller and cheaper.
I'd wait for the Cruise but I am not too thrilled to pay nearly 3/4 of a grand for something that can't render video.
Yes, I am frustrated. From the AT&T bloatware to the lack of accessories (it didn't even come with a case????) to the video driver problems, the TouchFlo not working, yada yada yada, I've had it with this phone. I actually liked my 8125 better, and as a basis of comparison, I saw far fewer complaints about that model when it was the top dog.
So sad to say, the Kaiser looks great on paper, but it falls short on implementation.

Is Diamond multitouch?

Been trying to google this for a while, but is the Diamond multitouch capable?
Been playing the Maggot Pinball and seems like you can touch both flippers at the same time. Or hold down one flipper and use the other. If so, can't someone write a decent drum kit app for the Diamond? Iphone's killing us in this area.
Well, even if the diamond is screen itself multitouch (which I doubt), could WM6.1 handle it ? I thought it was for WM7
Don't know if it's related, but I just discovered that trying to slide with the stylus is impossible for me, I can do it with the finger only, no matter how strong I press...
hard for me too, but not impossible
my opinion is that multi touch sucks ass, 99% of the time you hold your phone in one hand, with only your thumb available for touch.
Its useless for normal use, and its battery draining since the screen must handle more parameters at once.
so i think iphone lacks something to wm.
grr
multi-touch may be good for some things but bad for others, it depends really on the application at hand (or game).
i'm not sure if this is correct, but i had read somewhere that multi-touch is purely driver and software related, and not related to the hardware itself. i remember the old macbook pros were originally single-touch until they were given a driver/software update which enabled multi-touch functionality. please correct me if i'm wrong as i don't read up too much on macs.
It's not purely software, the hardware has to support it. I dont know much on the topic but i do know there are only a few types of touch screen and only a certain type supports it. I think they normally use an X Y grid and send pulses down the x and the Y and see where they meet, and then thats where your finger is. However if you have 2 fingers then it doesnt know what to do. Multitouch requires a different kind of hardware.
surface_rom, i think you're being a bit harsh on multi-touc, it's most deffinitely not battery draining.
ljames28 said:
It's not purely software, the hardware has to support it. I dont know much on the topic but i do know there are only a few types of touch screen and only a certain type supports it. I think they normally use an X Y grid and send pulses down the x and the Y and see where they meet, and then thats where your finger is. However if you have 2 fingers then it doesnt know what to do. Multitouch requires a different kind of hardware.
surface_rom, i think you're being a bit harsh on multi-touc, it's most deffinitely not battery draining.
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Thanks for clearing that up for me. I do find that multi-touch on the diamond wouldn't be that beneficial, considering the screen size and device size (in comparison to that of the iPhone, which has a larger screen and overall size) and the fact that you would use the phone 1-handed majority of the time (I do, unless I am typing where I would hold the phone with 2 hands to type with 2 thumbs).
Huey85 said:
Thanks for clearing that up for me. I do find that multi-touch on the diamond wouldn't be that beneficial, considering the screen size and device size (in comparison to that of the iPhone, which has a larger screen and overall size) and the fact that you would use the phone 1-handed majority of the time (I do, unless I am typing where I would hold the phone with 2 hands to type with 2 thumbs).
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Yeah, bit too small for multi-touch. You could only do that zooming in thing diagonally, theres not enough room sideways.
Btw the fact you can actually use the Diamond one handed is quite a good thing that people may take for granted, how many other non-smartphone WM phones can you type one handed, or even use one handed for that matter? Normally you need the stylus or you need the other hand to steady the phone while you use your nail to move around the phone.
Yes, quite true. I absolutely love the Diamond's size and being able to use it 1-handedly for majority of the tasks which I use it for.
surface_rom said:
my opinion is that multi touch sucks ass, 99% of the time you hold your phone in one hand, with only your thumb available for touch.
Its useless for normal use, and its battery draining since the screen must handle more parameters at once.
so i think iphone lacks something to wm.
grr
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Click to collapse
Agree! 100%
Just found this on some other site:
HTC Diamond's Hidden Multitouch Revealed
If you're reading the back of the HTC Diamond's box, it doesn't show some little child laughing with glee as he pinches in and out of webpages or draws with two fingers at once, in fact, it doesn't even list multitouch as a feature at all. But just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there. When using the program NavDbgTool, HTC's secret weapon is uncovered—the entire front case supports tandem touching.

Opinions on the Lapdock?

I am really in love with my bionic and would love to make the typing experience more joyable for taking notes etc.
I have heard a lot of negativity surrounding it though, anyone who purchased it care to share their experience?
Is it really laggy or stuttery?
Is the browser at least functional? Do HD youtube videos work?
I played with it for a few minutes in the store. The keyboard was definitely laggy. Also, the review that I read on Engadget said that it's actually slower than a $200 netbook. Their and my suggestion would be wait for the customer roms to come out, and then use the wireless hotspot or usb tethering. I think you'll like it better.
If you google Engadget Droid Bionic, the review will pop up.
Yeah, from what I've heard, it's very slow. I haven't actually tested it out myself, though. Perhaps call up your local Verizon store or maybe Best Buy and ask if they have any test units.
Yeah, I can chime in on this one. I bouht the dock on launch day.
First what I like:
* Plays Netflix well. This is nice for me. I usually watch an episode of South Park over lunch and it's better than looking at my smaller phone screen.
* Browsing the internet is good. Especially if you are on 4G
What I don't like:
* LAG - Like everyone says, it has some significant lag at times.
* Start up - It's very finnicky about starting up correctly. You are supposed to put your phone on the dock and then open the lid. Even when doing so, sometimes it will not come on.
* The single thing I hate the most are LOW MEMORY WARNINGS. It seems like everytime I have more than two things open, I get a popup telling me that I'm low on memory and need to close some apps.
I mainly bought this thing so I could play battle pirates while I was in the car, on a break, or just away from home in general. I can start to play it, but as soon as I do,.... memory error.
Anyway, I think the concept is great but the whole setup could use some more RAM to help remedy most of the Lag and memory overun issues.
I will be taking mine back later this week. Not worth the $300 price tag in my opinion.
I for one love the lapdock. I think it accompanies the mobile device well. The bionic is fully functional while docked. I don't expect to get the same performance as I would a full blown laptop. But.... It's great being able to surf the internet with the larger screen and a full size keyboard, and yet being able to just undock the phone and be on the go. And yes... with the 4G surfing the Internet is awesome. The only thing I have to get used to use the left/right mouse clicks on the lapdock are a bit stiff. There is a little lag sometimes using the lapdock, but it isn't that bad.
All in all I am very satisfied with the lapdock and don't regret buying it. It is a great accessory to an already great mobile device. FREAKIN AWESOME!!!
I also purchased the lap dock on launch day but I have taken it back due to the lag. I had hoped to replace at least one device and use it to access my virtual desktop which does work great as a web top app. In the end the lag killed it for me and I could not justify the price. Great concept and would have loved it to work. I will say the HD dock works great!
I've got next to no RAM free evidently and it makes it rather difficult to use the lapdock. It actually responds fairly well otherwise other than my spacebar refusing to register unless I slam it. Rather annoying! Once I cleared up some RAM though things are running far better. Gonna give it a few more days (this is my first night with it) so I can give it time to settle in.
I bought the bionic, lapdock and extended battery the second day of launch.
PROS:
Firefox 3.0 (haven't tried plugins with adblocker yet)
Surfing with 4g is a very positive experience
1080p streaming works great
2 USB connections in the rear works great for a wireless mouse with scroller (haven't tried with a gamepad to see if it works. Excited to try with psx4droid playing final fantasy to see if it works)
Very easy to type with keyboard
Lapdock has a built in 8 hour batt that charges your phone as well
Works great with netfilx and nfl mobile on 4g
Thin, lightweight
Good resolution
Full access to phone
Answer phone calls with speaker without having to lean over
Settings for screensaver time, mouse speed controls, changeable desktop background
Lapdock batt life indicator
Windows ctrl commands work such as ctrl+p, ctrl+c, ctrl+v, ctrl++, ctrl+- for example
CONS:
Spacebar needs to be slammed in at times to register.
Needs to be custom rom'ed and overclocked without breaking webdock or lapdock
Minimal multitasking
Speaker system seems too generic
Upon initial usage system is very laggy and must be opened and closed a few times
No autoscroller on touchpad (must use page up and down arrows, becomes bearable with mouse/scroller)
Resolution of mobileview is not optimized
Wish there was a earphone/mic jack on the from of lapdock right below the touchpad
Definitely not as good and powerful as $300 netbook, but it works. I'm not sure if firefox uses both cores. It doesn't seem like it.
I see what some people are talking about regarding lag now, after using the webtop for a while. Biggest problem/concern is the Memory Manager - Low Memory error with a few tabs open in Firefox.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17590527#post17590527

[Q] Purchase decision, but many questions unanswered

I currently own a HTC Wildfire, which is decent for the most part, but I'm missing some features...and I saw a heavy price drop for Nexus One, but I cant find enough information about it (all reviews seem to be highly outdated and based on the initial Android 2.1 version)...so I would like to ask a few questions:
What is the latest Android (official) version available for it?
Is it still a supported device (as in will it receive future updates or they declared that it's at it's last one)?
How good is the Flash Player 10.1 support? Is it comparable to desktop use (can play videos on all pages or if the video is high quality it'll freeze and stuff)?
How good are the games on it? Mostly referring to games such as Asphalt, Angry Birds, Order of Chaos and other "quality" games (not just the basic ones)...if possible a compatibility list or examples of the game-quality would be greatly appreciated.
[IMPORTANT] I heard there was mo multi-touch support...is it true?
Any notable flaws or features that make it better than other devices (of the same rank that is, not the latest models)?
The price I'm being offered is 140€, which is still a lot for me (with this economy =| ), so I would like to get informed before making a decision...anyone can help?
Thanks in advance!
Can only answer some of your questions.
1. The latest official version is Gingerbread 2.3.6. Released a few weeks ago
2. Not sure at the moment. I believe Ice Cream Sandwich (future release) can run on the Nexus S, so there is a chance it might show up on the Nexus One. If not, there will probably be a ROM from the devs.
3. Flash gets updated regularly from the market. Not sure it's fair to compare a phone to a desktop. So far it's going fine for me.
6. There are some notable hardware issues. The power button has been known to fail. There's also an issue with touch response that occurs every so often. Turning off the screen and turning it back on solves it. It's the biggest annoyance for me.
[*]What is the latest Android (official) version available for it?
[*]Is it still a supported device (as in will it receive future updates or they declared that it's at it's last one)?
[*]How good is the Flash Player 10.1 support? Is it comparable to desktop use (can play videos on all pages or if the video is high quality it'll freeze and stuff)?
[*]How good are the games on it? Mostly referring to games such as Asphalt, Angry Birds, Order of Chaos and other "quality" games (not just the basic ones)...if possible a compatibility list or examples of the game-quality would be greatly appreciated.
[*][IMPORTANT] I heard there was mo multi-touch support...is it true?
[*]Any notable flaws or features that make it better than other devices (of the same rank that is, not the latest models)?
1. As mentioned by Liko, 2.3.6 is the latest official Android version for the N1. If you go with custom ROMs, the 2.3.7 is available through CyanogenMod on some of their later nightlies.
2. It is unknown how far the support for the N1 will go. People were speculating that it may not receive the Gingerbread update (which, obviously, isn't true). Google has not specified whether or not the N1 will receive ICS, although, I believe that it will get it. But even after official support dies, there will always be custom ROMs that will allow it to keep going (the G1 officially supports 1.6, but through developers, they have gotten it to support a limited version of 2.3).
3. Flash on phones will never be as robust as flash on desktops. There can never be support for mouseovers, and the lack of a mouse can make things difficult. Also, some sites just don't support the on phones (I know roosterteeth.com used to be one, I don't know if it has changed). But 99% of the times I have needed flash support (I enable it only when I need it), it has worked.
4. Gaming doesn't seem to be an issue with a few exceptions. Multi-touch does exist with the phone, but it is a poor implementation that does have issues sometimes. Most of the time I don't have issues with it, but sometimes with a game like SliceIt, when you are trying to use multi-touch, it goes all screwy. Other than multi-touch, the only thing that limits the N1 is a lack of more recent hardware. Some games out there require the Tegra2 processor, so those obviously won't work. But I have played all Angry Birds, Yoo Ninja, SliceIt, Cut the Rope, Death Worm, Fruit Ninja, Reckless Racing and more. I haven't ever come across performance issues other than the touch screen limitations listed above.
5. As I mentioned above, the phone does have multi-touch support. It is there, and 90% of the time it works great. I never seem to have issues with pinch-to-zoom. The main time you run into issues is when you are needing specific points that are close to a straight line on an x or y axis. It can be very spotty then.
6. There is a possibility of the powerbutton failing due to a design flaw. Most people try to find ways to minimize that by using things like Trackball Wake, and widgets and/or apps to turn off the screen and rebooting/shutting off the device. There are the multi-touch issues I mentioned above, along with sometimes the screen will just go "screwy". It is hard to explain, but just turning off the screen and turning it right back on will reset it, and it will work again. And the phone is extremely limited with internal space.
But, I do love my phone. It will be extremely hard to part with it. The AMOLED screen (if you happen to get it) is gorgeous. The phone is still quick even though it is getting close to 2 years old. It is built very well and has taken quite a few drops like a champ. Trackball notifications are AMAZING! I still don't understand why more manufacturers have not used this. The official car and home docks are very solid and I love that they have built-in connectors for those docks. And if you throw a custom ROM on there, like CyanogenMod, the phone gets 10x better.
Now with all that being said, I don't know if I can honestly recommend this phone. The biggest reason is because of its age. It does still hold up well to newer devices, but those new devices are still better. Whether they have better battery life, more internal space, or better performance. The N1 still holds its own, but it is starting to show its age.

[Q] To previous Android owners

I currently own a Captivate and I'm tired of the ROM-switching, and the laggy interface (On each and every ROM I've installed) and want to give this device a shot, so my questions to people that migrated from Android to WP7 are:
What's better? What's worse? What will I miss? Is it worth the move?
Thanks!
xgibran said:
I currently own a Captivate and I'm tired of the ROM-switching, and the laggy interface (On each and every ROM I've installed) and want to give this device a shot, so my questions to people that migrated from Android to WP7 are:
What's better? What's worse? What will I miss? Is it worth the move?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just left the droid bionic 4 days ago. I am not new to windows phone though. What's better:
Ease of use. Its simple
Reliable. Connects every time
Hardware is now comparable with a lot of dual core droids. This does not lack for speed.
Its attractive and light.
Once you learn the Os, it becomes addictive in its simplicity.
Connects my jabra hands free and allows voice actions. Cool.
What's not so good:
If you have any notion of custom, forget it. What you see is what you get. I mean that...exactly as it sounds.
Apps. WP has many of the more familiar apps, but not all, yet. There is no Starbucks app, or Barnes and noble to name 2. Its getting better though.
Still limited in ringtones. Takes some doing to get your tone.
Battery life is not great. Not awful either.
The buttons on this focus are backwards. The volume id on upper left. A right handed phone holder changes the volume everytime.
No led notifications..at all.
Would I buy this again. Yes. I say this knowing I'm getting the 900 soon. I'll have both. This is a good phone.
Thanks, that is very helpful. One thing you didn't mention is that compared to Androids of the same level the speed is astonishing. The experience is so smooth!
So far I have found most of the same apps I used regularly on Android and a very good alternative to another.
As you said, battery life is not the best in the world, but it sure beats the 7-8 hours I got on the Captivate. I went through a whole day (~13 hours) of heavy use (OTA downloads, take a couple of pics, etc) before I needed to recharge.
The one thing that ticks me off in particular is the way multitasking is managed. I open something and hit the home button. If I go through the active apps (holding the back key) I can get back to the exact place I was in before I left it. If I tap on the tile of the app it restarts the app from scratch. What gives?
xgibran said:
Thanks, that is very helpful. One thing you didn't mention is that compared to Androids of the same level the speed is astonishing. The experience is so smooth!
So far I have found most of the same apps I used regularly on Android and a very good alternative to another.
As you said, battery life is not the best in the world, but it sure beats the 7-8 hours I got on the Captivate. I went through a whole day (~13 hours) of heavy use (OTA downloads, take a couple of pics, etc) before I needed to recharge.
The one thing that ticks me off in particular is the way multitasking is managed. I open something and hit the home button. If I go through the active apps (holding the back key) I can get back to the exact place I was in before I left it. If I tap on the tile of the app it restarts the app from scratch. What gives?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't mention speed because most people's first response to a speed claim is no way, or you missed something. Fact is, I didn't believe it either. I went to t-mobile to pay my bill. There was an in store special on the 710. $20, that's it. So I took it. That little low end phone outpaced the bionic in almost everything. When my bionic went on vacation decided to take off, I did not hesitate. I have not looked back. I'm successfully weaned from android, with no regrets..even my girlfriend made the trip back. She's even more integrated with windows live, office, SkyDrive, OneNote, the entire cloud scenario. She uses the concept at work. They think shes a genius.
So yeah, good concepts, good phone. Perfect, no. Like you mentioned. But a good show none the less.
I just made the switch from the HTC Desire. Honestly, the Focus S is a great phone. It's beautiful, stupidly thin like a cat walk model, great camera, etc.
WP7 is a beautiful OS, oh I've wanted to have it on my phone for so long now, but it's got a gammy leg. My main gripes are:
-Multitasking is a pain - it's so slow to resume applications I'm not sure what the difference is in relaunching an app. That said, without proper multitasking apps that should receive push notifications sort of... DON'T! This whole, let it run under the lock-screen is lame. In Android I thought it was ridiculous that EVERYTHING just ran in the background and now I'm complaining about the inverse. Is there no happy medium?
-Facebook Chat integration is another hobbled feature. I can't send pictures which you can in the Android app. I receive pictures as a LINK to the desktop FB site which is ridiculous because if you zoom you are bounced back to the left margin for some reason. Even the official FB app is useless when it comes to FB chat/IM! I used this with my wife constantly. The alternative is WhatsApp but then the whole seemless continuity from mobile to desktop is shattered!
-Integration with Gmail is a bit ropey, but seems quite adequate I suppose. I guess here too push notifications aren't possible it has to be 30 min intervals.
-I do admit to wishing that the keyboad had the key long press functionality for special characters like in Android. Flipping to the numeric keyboard is labourious
-Notifications are also a little inconsistent. The whole toast thing. Without a doubt the Android (and now iOS) pull down notifications bar is fantastic. This also goes for quick access to stuff like switching wifi, airplane mode on or off, etc
I'm sure I could go on... The positives are amazing. Damn it's smooth, beautiful and functional, but the above issues and others make it kind of a deal breaker for me. Android has sucked for a while, but it has matured and WP7 needs to do the same pretty quickly. I know the above issues might not be a deal breaker for a lot of people, but for me they are
Hmph! I'm a little annoyed now...
Coming from an ATT Cappy, I'm stoked.
Been on the Focus S for a few weeks now and I love it. IMO, it just works. What I need and want a phone to do, it does very well. EYE CANDY! There are a few things I miss coming from Android however.
1. The ability to toggle WiFi always on. This really sucks when sitting on my couch and using my phone to control my htpc (xbmc). It takes about 10 seconds for the wifi to re-connect after the screen is turned on. By no means a deal breaker and I'm sure will be addressed in future updates.
2. Individual audio volume controls. I miss the ability to have my alarm, system, media and other notification volumes at different pre-configured levels.
3. Apps are more expensive and the free ones are still a bit lacking.
4. Home screen customizing. I really would find it useful to have 3 home screens rather than 2 (tiles and apps). There's just too much **** i want quick access too I guess
5. Zero expandable memory. This one totally blows and was almost a deal breaker for me. ~16GB's is enough storage space, but just barely. There is no way I can have all my music, audio books and some movies on here. Currently I just have music :/
That's my 5. Everything else I think is comparable or better than Android currently. This phone is sleek and super fast. We just need some updates and app development to get this thing tip top.
Switched from Captivate to Focus S via the Smoked challenge.
- As far as operation goes, the Focus does indeed smoke the Captivate. Severely. I was always fighting the Captivate, but with the Focus S, the phone actually works as it was intended to. Metro is a bit plain, but the performance is steady and predictable. Personally, I'll take steady and predictable every time.
- The app situation on Windows isn't as solid as Android. Which only matters if the specific apps you are looking for aren't there. For example, if you can't live without Angry Birds, stay home.
- Video transfer *SUCKS*. Moving over large video files (movies) that aren't already formatted in a Zune friendly format takes *hours*. Seriously. Once they are transferred, they are beautiful, but if you are the type that likes moving different movies back and forth, stay far away from WP...at least until Apollo.
- Taken as a whole, this is an easy upgrade to recommend.
sarlo100 said:
Switched from Captivate to Focus S via the Smoked challenge.
- As far as operation goes, the Focus does indeed smoke the Captivate. Severely. I was always fighting the Captivate, but with the Focus S, the phone actually works as it was intended to. Metro is a bit plain, but the performance is steady and predictable. Personally, I'll take steady and predictable every time.
- The app situation on Windows isn't as solid as Android. Which only matters if the specific apps you are looking for aren't there. For example, if you can't live without Angry Birds, stay home.
- Video transfer *SUCKS*. Moving over large video files (movies) that aren't already formatted in a Zune friendly format takes *hours*. Seriously. Once they are transferred, they are beautiful, but if you are the type that likes moving different movies back and forth, stay far away from WP...at least until Apollo.
- Taken as a whole, this is an easy upgrade to recommend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually returned my Focus S for an SGS II. There were just too many little things I missed coming from Android that I couldn't live without. Going to the SGS II seems to be the best of both worlds for me and I'm super stoked.

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