HTC HD7 - Buyer beware! (A somewhat scathing mini-review) - Windows Phone 7 General

After finally getting music onto my HD7 (long story), here are my thoughts on what is turning into a nightmare handset for me.
1. Set up - First of all, the Connector for Mac software will only access iTunes libraries on a local computer, so if like me you have your media stored on a NAS, you're in the sticky stuff. This also goes for USB sticks and external HDDs.
2. Zune - After finally getting some music on to the phone, I checked out the Zune player component. Coming from an i-device, it took a while to find my way around it, but on the whole, it's quite a nice interface. One thing I don't like is when browsing by artist, instead of giving you the albums to pick, it just jumps straight into playing all songs by the artist. Not a big deal, but slightly annoying.
*EDIT* Actually, scrap that last comment. Double tapping on the artist brings up the artist's albums. Excellent!
3. Sound quality - I use some high quality Denon 'buds and have to say, the sound quality is so much better than my iPhone. It's also very loud. Unfortunately, you do get some background hiss when you're flicking between the icons and have no music playing. There was also some feedback as mentioned below in point 4, but when NOT on a call.
4. Call quality - I found this to be pretty decent, UNLESS you're using headphones. You know that feedback ditt-ditty-ditt noise you get when you put a cellphone next to a radio? Well I got that constantly when on a call. Not sure if this is a fault with my phone itself or whether they're all like this. Either way, it's not a good advert for HTC.
5. The screen - After reading about the 'screen tearing' and wondering what it was all about, I now have first hand experience of it. The handset is only 1 day old, so I'm not exactly happy. Does anyone know if this is a hardware of software fault? Have the Mozart or Omnia 7 had the same problem?
6. No gapless playback - A big one for me is this. I've got 200 or so live/dj mix albums, so not having this feature has pretty much made this phone worthless to me. I just don't understand why MS haven't implemented it. If there are no plans to add this, then my HD7 will have to be returned.
Right, that's my take on the HD7. Admittedly, it's not exactly positive, but I have been honest and hope that it will give prospective buyers something to think about.
If I'd have known about some of these things in advance, I would have given the WP7 format a wide berth. This is a shame, as the UI is excellent and there are so many good things about it.

in response
1. good to know, i didn't know this and hopefully MS will improve on it as they threw it together pretty quick, but who knows... doesn't zune detect the files on NAS though? mine does (well videos anyways, and i've got all sorts of videos formats which all worked), maybe try the k-lite codec pack and see if zune will pick it up then?
2. cool! i'm still getting use to zune myself. i found that if you try and sync an item, and then decide not to sync, there isn't any easy way to just clear it from queue. what you have to do is goto the device, then to sync groups, and remove it from there... bit od, but worked it out.
3. the hissing is most likely hardware related not software related. it is possible that the software could be outputting something to check if it's alive, but i think it's more hardware related.
4. same as 3, i don't believe this is OS related but more hardware related. best thing to do is ask to borrow someone's samsung/LG phone and see if you experience the same?
5. screen tearing? would be hardware as well... i have a HTC trophy which was the phone to show all these screen defects, but luckily i haven't noticed it with mine.
6. gapless playback, that is OS related... and yea they should implement this. Some were saying that it could be to do with the i3 tags? Could you try something for me? try ripping a cd using zune and then see if it plays gapless on zune, if it does, sync it to the phone and see if it's gapless. note though that cross fade (start playing just before the end of the previous sone) isn't available from what i've read.

DaveyBoy72 said:
6. No gapless playback - A big one for me is this. I've got 200 or so live/dj mix albums, so not having this feature has pretty much made this phone worthless to me. I just don't understand why MS haven't implemented it. If there are no plans to add this, then my HD7 will have to be returned.
This is a shame, as the UI is excellent and there are so many good things about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is a shame is the fact that you're returning the phone because of #6. Are you friggin kidding me ? Wow...

The Gate Keeper said:
in response
1. good to know, i didn't know this and hopefully MS will improve on it as they threw it together pretty quick, but who knows... doesn't zune detect the files on NAS though? mine does (well videos anyways, and i've got all sorts of videos formats which all worked), maybe try the k-lite codec pack and see if zune will pick it up then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's using the Connector for Mac instead of the Windows based Zune client. The Connector for Mac is still Beta if I recall correctly so issues like this are gonna get solved eventually I guess.

Basically your complaining about software issues or using a phone as a music player.
Im on my third day of using HD7 all day long and have no problems with it at all.
Zune loaded all my photos and music.
Have not had any screen problems, that could be your one hardware problem.
Sound is fine, though could be louder
No LED alert for notifications. My one complaint.
Everything runs smooth and fast.
I have to say its a nice piece of hardware.

NRGZ28 said:
What is a shame is the fact that you're returning the phone because of #6. Are you friggin kidding me ? Wow...
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Click to collapse
For someone who uses their phone primarily as a music player (why carry two things in your pocket), no, I am not kidding you. I could go on all day how iPod/iPhones work with this without problems, but we'd be covering old ground.
Also, it's not just live/DJ mix albums that are gapless these days. I don't know if you listen to a lot of continuous albums, but having a 1 or 2 second gap in a seamless DJ mix kind of defeats the object. It works on the Zune players (and iDevice), so why not on WP7?
To those who suggested using Zune PC to rip new files. I'm on a Mac, so at the moment the Zune software isn't available. I will try a 3rd party ripper though, which might give a different outcome to iTunes. I did try .M4A and .MP3 files from iTunes, but got the same result.
With regard to Connector for Mac, the external drive problem is being looked at and will hopefully be fixed when it moves from a beta release.
Unfortunately I don't know anyone else with a WP7 device, but will try another HD7 in the shop to see if the call interference is there. As mentioned, the earphones act as an antenna for the radio, so maybe it is this that is causing it. After digging around, I've found the screen tearing may be a driver fault and not the hardware itself.
One other minor (good) quirk, is that my Shure iPhone MPA remote/mic partially works with the HD7. It can only stop/start music, but a bonus nonetheless.

New phone
It's interesting each time a new or updated OS and phone comes out we don't really know what to expect or what the limits of the device will be. I went thru this last year (and every other previous year) with Win 6.5 on my Dash 3G. In the end I managed to get 100+ apps installed and the phone did everything except my laundry. I have a good feeling about WP7 (and my HTC Surround)....I've only had it 3 days and I've customized it, I see more (free) apps every day, and I will bet anyone MS will be implementing a lot of tweaks and new features i.e. spending a lot of money to insure these phones will compete with the others. We are all tweakers here and we want to push the limits..a little patience may be necessary.....it's only 3 days old

DaveyBoy72 said:
For someone who uses their phone primarily as a music player (why carry two things in your pocket), no, I am not kidding you. I could go on all day how iPod/iPhones work with this without problems, but we'd be covering old ground.
Also, it's not just live/DJ mix albums that are gapless these days. I don't know if you listen to a lot of continuous albums, but having a 1 or 2 second gap in a seamless DJ mix kind of defeats the object. It works on the Zune players (and iDevice), so why not on WP7?
To those who suggested using Zune PC to rip new files. I'm on a Mac, so at the moment the Zune software isn't available. I will try a 3rd party ripper though, which might give a different outcome to iTunes. I did try .M4A and .MP3 files from iTunes, but got the same result.
With regard to Connector for Mac, the external drive problem is being looked at and will hopefully be fixed when it moves from a beta release.
Unfortunately I don't know anyone else with a WP7 device, but will try another HD7 in the shop to see if the call interference is there. As mentioned, the earphones act as an antenna for the radio, so maybe it is this that is causing it. After digging around, I've found the screen tearing may be a driver fault and not the hardware itself.
One other minor (good) quirk, is that my Shure iPhone MPA remote/mic partially works with the HD7. It can only stop/start music, but a bonus nonetheless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is your music DRM? With the Zune HD gapless works great as long as it's not with DRM so with my zune pass everything from the pass fails at gapless but works fine with the music I brought to the table without drm

DaveyBoy72 said:
6. No gapless playback - A big one for me is this. I've got 200 or so live/dj mix albums, so not having this feature has pretty much made this phone worthless to me. I just don't understand why MS haven't implemented it. If there are no plans to add this, then my HD7 will have to be returned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why don't you support this idea on the WP7 wish list here
http://windowsphone7community.userv...ral/topics/85023-i-suggest-you-/filter/recent

Done.
None of my music is DRM as I've only ever downloaded 2 tracks in the last 5 years in iTunes.
Most of my music is from CD rips, with the occasional BitTorrent download.
I've still not had a chance to check another HD7 to see if it also produces feedback through the earphones. Has anyone else with an FM radio equiped handset ever had the same thing happen?

honestly I was shocked at the quality of calls on my HD7. I wouldn't call it decent, I'd call it excellent.

jz9833 said:
honestly I was shocked at the quality of calls on my HD7. I wouldn't call it decent, I'd call it excellent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is that coming from an ex-iphone user?

There are many problems with Wp7, but people have to remember this is a 1st release and only a couple of weeks old. I've had mine for 3 weeks and dispite the shortcuming it's my best phone yet.
I've only had the screen flicker problem once in Zune.

When you say gapless are you talking nearly instant vs absolutely instant or 2 seconds vs nearly instant/absolutely instant?
I have a few albums, some Linkin Park ones in particular that are compiled as a continuous album and i tried it first on the PC zune player. the transition was instantaneous. Then i synced the same tracks to my HTC Surround and played a few and there was about a tenth of a second skip before the next song started. Is that what you are talking about?

*Update*
I've made some progress with the HD7.
1. Finally got Connector for Mac to work properly. It now mirrors any changes in iTunes (eg adding media, playlists, etc) and accesses my NAS no problem. It also syncs ok. Previously I had to use the iTunes library on a local drive, but now it works with the NAS. I had to do a fresh install of iTunes, but it seems to be working now.
2. I've not had any further screen tearing issues. There were a few updates to the HTC apps/front end showing up, so I installed them. Not sure if this has fixed it, or whether I've just been lucky.
3. Gapless playback - Hopefully MS will implement this in the next OS update. I take gapless to mean totally seamless. At the moment, I get gaps of 1-2 seconds at least. Obviously on shuffle or with a regular album it's not a problem, but with an album like Radio Soulwax by 2manyDJs (45 tracks in 60 minutes), it's kind of annoying.
4. The interference! I'm going back to O2 at lunchtime today to try another handset (providing they have one). Still getting that noise when using earphones (my Denon or the supplied headset) and this is noticable with calls, when listening to Zune or the radio, and even when there is no music playing.
Do any other HD7 (or Desire HD) users have this problem??
Note: This is ONLY when using the headphones.
Thanks.

I don't know how you are getting such a long delay in between tracks.. Its barely a split second between mine. Not even close to 1-2 seconds.

Further update.
Popped into O2 at lunchtime. The guy knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned this interefence noise, and said they'd had a few others with the same problem.
Anyway, swapped the phone and gave the new one a try in the shop. This worked fine, so hopefully it was just a one-off for me.
Re: Gapless - I was probably exaggerating with the 1-2 seconds, but it's around 0.5-1 second. There's no click and chageover, it's a definite gap.

DaveyBoy72 said:
Popped into O2 at lunchtime. The guy knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned this interefence noise, and said they'd had a few others with the same problem.
Anyway, swapped the phone and gave the new one a try in the shop. This worked fine, so hopefully it was just a one-off for me.
Re: Gapless - I was probably exaggerating with the 1-2 seconds, but it's around 0.5-1 second. There's no click and chageover, it's a definite gap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I continue to wonder why HTC is regarded as being a top hardware maker, here is yet another indication they are anything but.

efjay said:
I continue to wonder why HTC is regarded as being a top hardware maker, here is yet another indication they are anything but.
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Click to collapse
Yes, actually they look like a quite faulty hardware maker...
Software is definitely better from HTC.

i haven't had a bad run with HTC, but I would have easily swapped to samsung (omnia 7) if the carriers here really made it worth while...

Related

Touch Pro 2 radio

Hi guys
Followed the slightly concerning threads re the radio disappearing from the specs.
It is now back on the specs at Clove and never disappeared from the Expansys ones.
I called HTC UK support yesterday. They said to me that it was all still subject to change (as it would be officially until the shops get it) but their internal current spec still said it had an FM Radio.
Paul.
If that's what the current internal spec is then I'm pretty dang sure it will have it. That means that it's been designed to have it and removing it would just be removing the chip from the board. The chip is probably pretty dang cheap as it is. Then it would just be wasted space.
Specs don't just disappear from web pages for no reason. The main HTC site still shows the FM radio as not being included, when it used to be there. I'm hoping it will continue to be there, but somebody took it down for a reason, even if it wasn't taken down from all sites.
at this point, if they say it still has it, it likely still does. They have to be manufacturing them in mass by now with it being as close to the release as it is (least outside of the US). T-Mobile/AT&T may have the radio removed tho, it wouldn't surprise me for them to remove features (ie cmos camera). But who knows. Either way, i couldn't care less. I don't listen to the radio as it is. Not to say that others wouldn't want to, but technically, this is a business phone so a radio would seem a bit out of its way.
Personally, i would say, if they included a radio, they should also include a 3.5mm jack to Listen to it on.
That's pretty much my point. At this time, they most decidedly are not saying that it has it, when in February they specifically said on the same page that it was included. I hope it was right then and wrong now, but I have my doubts.
Business or phone phone
I do wish people would stop pandering to this rubbish.
No one buys a highend PDA phone (privately) to use it just as a business / organiser device or just as a fun / media device.
It is fair to say that some people won't mind if a radio or tv-out or gfx acceleration or decent camera or 3.5" jack is missing .... but that isn't a justification for HTC or anyone else not to put these things in on expensive new devices.
Most people I know that have a highend device like the HD or TP2 will probably want at some point to dump some movies to it and play it on an hotel TV when they are away with work because they don't have their Archos or ipod with them. This means that TV-Out and support of embedded gfx hardware should be a given.
Most people would prefer a proper wired headphone jack for wired listening of any description.
Many people find themselves on the train, at an airport or in a break and at some point may like to listen to the news. If you live in the UK or a country where most providers insist on realmedia for streaming, Resco News etc is no good ... you need a decent radio. PDA and phone manufacturers have demonstrated that hardware for this sort of thing is typically on chipset anyway and just needs enabling and exploiting in firmware.
HTC very irritatingly artificially leave these things out which makes the device in complete ... for no good reason other than to force people to either get two devices or feel frustrated from time to time (even if rarely) when they want to use things like the above.
The camera situation is the same. 30fps vga video is common place on SE and Nokia ... Apple and HTC should not be forgiven for not including it (yes ... I know the TD2 and TP2 now have it ... at last) ... also ... yes ... you'd expect if you were planning to take holiday snaps you'd take your Pentax or Canon SLR with you .. but often you want to take adhoc pictures .... why shouldn't they be of decent quality ... the technology is there and in mass production SE and Nokia have shown that it shouldn't raise the cost of the devices.
We shouldn't be so accepting about things like this ... it allows HTC to treat us with some contempt and encourages them to continue to do so.
All these devices they are bringing out ... long after the Snapdragon ... but still no sign of official support ... again ... getting people to buy last generation technology today. Are we forced to ... no ... but given their position in the market ... they still have no viable competition on the WM front ... they are exploiting that.
Sorry for the rant ....
Hope this helps...
Some food for though...
If HTC remove the FM radio, at this late stage (after some devices with it have been released) will they keep the chipset's the same?
If so I'm sure some of the guys on here could get the Drivers for it working again...
If such a project is needed, count me in, I'm missing FM radio from my Kaiser
Dave
Speaking of rubbish...
pgamble said:
HTC very irritatingly artificially leave these things out which makes the device in complete ... for no good reason other than to force people to either get two devices or feel frustrated from time to time (even if rarely) when they want to use things like the above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm sure that this is precisely the reason HTC does these things. Market analysis, purchase trends, customer preferences research - all of these things are meaningless next to the opportunity to make their customers irritated and frustrated.
pgamble said:
The camera situation is the same. 30fps vga video is common place on SE and Nokia ... Apple and HTC should not be forgiven for not including it (yes ... I know the TD2 and TP2 now have it ... at last) ... also ... yes ... you'd expect if you were planning to take holiday snaps you'd take your Pentax or Canon SLR with you .. but often you want to take adhoc pictures .... why shouldn't they be of decent quality ... the technology is there and in mass production SE and Nokia have shown that it shouldn't raise the cost of the devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Define decent quality. I'm not sure what your gripe is here. Lack of a flash? OK, I can see that. But if you are complaining that you're not getting 30 FPS for your ad hoc videos, then HTC is just not the camera for you. Your priorities dictate the purchase of a different device. That's no reason to suggest that HTC is being intentionally annoying. They are making the decisions that will earn the highest sales for any given device in the markets for which they have seen they can effectively compete.
ajbopp said:
Define decent quality. I'm not sure what your gripe is here. Lack of a flash? OK, I can see that. But if you are complaining that you're not getting 30 FPS for your ad hoc videos, then HTC is just not the camera for you. Your priorities dictate the purchase of a different device. That's no reason to suggest that HTC is being intentionally annoying. They are making the decisions that will earn the highest sales for any given device in the markets for which they have seen they can effectively compete.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read HTC somewhere (I forget where) that it will be removed because of battery life performance issues. HTC are still trying to make this a business phone (hence the conference calling and Straight Talk) so it makes sense that a business phone would benefit more from battery life than an FM radio.
Just my 2'cs
Dave
I have to ask this again. Why would a radio chip and software waste battery when it's not on? It just doesn't make sense. Please enlighten me!
any news?
it's weird to see the Radio feature still on the official italian specification web page ...but it's not anymore on the english page
cocoaju said:
I have to ask this again. Why would a radio chip and software waste battery when it's not on? It just doesn't make sense. Please enlighten me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's Possible the FM radio stuff can cause interference with other devices in such a small space, meaning more power is needed to overcome any distortion.
There might even be a form of idle state it keeps itself in. Take the radio feature on the mp3 player next to me, it doesn't scan through like normal unless you force it to retune. It presets itself stations it can find gets RDS for them and names them and keeps track of it when not using the radio feature and more annoying it will do this when the whole device is in it's standby mode and will do so unless fully turned off.
Personally I believe it's just an oversight when they updated the battery spec on the UK HTC page as mass production is likely to have started and removing it last minuet would have likely been costly.
magius00 said:
There might even be a form of idle state it keeps itself in. Take the radio feature on the mp3 player next to me, it doesn't scan through like normal unless you force it to retune. It presets itself stations it can find gets RDS for them and names them and keeps track of it when not using the radio feature and more annoying it will do this when the whole device is in it's standby mode and will do so unless fully turned off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that if it's on standby mode, it may use up battery life. I mean if you leave software running in the background, it will run down your battery as well. So it's understandable.
But if you fully turned it off, it shouldn't kill battery life, cos it's not on, right? So, again, it doesn't make sense for battery life to lower, with or without the radio.
As you said, it could be HTC updating on the battery life spec because they got it wrong the first time round. And they thought the radio is no longer needed on this phone so they take it off as well.
I think this happened to the Samsung Omnia HD (not out till end of June) as well. GSM Arena just took another preview of it and some specs has changed prior to launch. They took the radio out as well.
So anything can happen until everything is set on launch date.
Just thought of a good reason to keep radio for business - GPS traffic data! GPS software use FM radio to receive the traffic data. if no radio, no traffic for GPS software.
Apart from no Radio, I just saw a couple of videos from you tube on TP2 reviews, it looks like the zoon bar is missing too.
I checked HTC's website and their gallery still shows the zoom bar. The videos were uploaded this week as well. So unless they took the video a while back and just uploaded it now, it looks like we are missing more features.
European Version Video Review
Asia CNET Version Video Review
Hope this is my mistake.
I just watched again and on the start of the video, I think I saw a glimpse of the zoom bar but never again afterwards. Maybe it's just so reflective, that I can't see the zoom bar. Maybe it is really me... being too imaginative
european video at 3.36 min, it's there !!!
Ha! You are correct! I saw the glimpse. Super reflective screen makes it hard to see on the video.
cocoaju said:
Ha! You are correct! I saw the glimpse. Super reflective screen makes it hard to see on the video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which icont is it? i cant easily make out what one is the radio

Activesync weirdness and other "niggles"

Got my Desire yesterday having had an iPhone 3g since launch. I'm experiencing some issues and am currently debating whether to go back to using the iPhone or not. I really like the phone, but not made my mind up if I can live with the "niggles".
My issues are:-
Activesync: I use "managed folders" on my Exchange 2007 Server. This creates a folder called "managed folders" in the root of the mail account and then creates subfolders beneath it (note: not below the inbox, but at the same level as it). Activesync will sync all folders except for "Managed Folders". They simply don't show up in the mail client.
*update* - after running fine for a day the phone has just popped up saying my activesync server details have changed and all mail/contacts/calendar will be erased and re-copied from the server. I can guarantee that they haven't change as I'm the only person with a login to the server.
Bluetooth: The wife has a Parrot CK3000 Evo hands free. In order to do voice dial you have to send your contacts from the phone to the kit over bluetooth and then use the kit to record voice tags. The Desire will not let me send the contacts as it claims the hands free kit doesn't support the correct bluetooth profile. It does support the profile and works with all other phones I've tried. This means she can't do voicedial as the Desire doesn't support native bluetooth voice dial.
Media playback: The Desire seems to use a separate audio and video player. Not a big issue but doesn't have that consolidated feel. It also doesn't playback video with multiple audio tracks. I watch a lot of films that have both Spanish and English audio and the iPhone natively allows you to flick between them.
Audio playback: I listen to foreign language podcasts (MP3) which have transcripts built in to the standard MP3 "lyrics" tag. The iPhone will natively display the lyrics during playback but I can't find a media player for the Desire that will do this.
Battery life: I've set the Desire up with the same sync frequency as the iPhone. The battery seems to last half as long. I'm hoping this will improve after a few charge cycles.
Screen rotation: Mine only seems to rotate anti-clockwise but not clockwise. Not a major issue but if you rotate clockwise you end up with the volume keys on the top of the unit which is better than rotating the other way and them being on the underneath.
As I said above, nothing is major (except for the wife's hands free - she was thinking of getting a desire but has changed her mind if we can't sort the voice dial issue), but they are all adding up and making me think twice. It's a 2 year contract and I don't want to regret the decision and end up stuck with a phone that bugs me, but on the other hand I think that all these issues are resolvable by either HTC or finding the correct app.
Dae
Exchange managed folders
I cant say for sure since Im still waiting for mine to arrive but you should be able to manage which folders you want synced via the Activesync settings on the handset.
also - regarding parrot speakerphones: give them a call. they will probably be able to help you out. Parrots support is pretty good.
Let me know how you go. I'll be hit with the same issue when mine finally arrives so it would be nice to know theres a fix.
The activesync thing is definitely an issue with the phone. I'm an Exchange specialist for a living, so know that it's definitely the phone end of things.
The folder selection screen doesn't show the Exchange Managed folders to allow you to sync them. They simply aren't there. All my other folders are selectable (e.g. drafts, sent items, deleted items etc)
I may give Parrot a call but not sure that they'll be able to help. If a firmware update fixed it I'd need to buy the cable (about £30) which is a large proportion of a new kit. Not an issue for me as I have the CK3300 and it works with one minor issue. With the iPhone the CK3300 saw 1 contact (e.g. wife) with multiple numbers for home, work etc. With the HTC Desire it sees each number as a separate contact. It's annoying but it works though, which is more than can be said for the wife's kit.
Dae
I've just noticed a couple of other oddities.
The phone is set to sync mail every hour from 06:00 until 23:00 every day, and manually outside these times.
I just looked at the phone now and it's remained in manual mode, but when looking at the times it should be in hourly sync. Went into the settings and clicked on the setting that was already there (i.e. re-selecting the same setting without changing it) and it's popped itself back into hourly sync mode.
The other thing I've noticed is that if you create an appointment in the calendar you can't choose your time as free/busy/out of office etc for when it syncs back to Exchange.
Off topic, but why in the world would you add "may go back to iPhone" to subject? Is it at all relevant to the problem you're having?
It just looks like an attention seeking behaviour -- oh no, don't go, we'll do everything we can to help -- is that the reaction you were looking for?
Well, let me tell you a secret -- you don't have to threaten to leave for another platform in order to receive help on these forums
Hey man, calm down !
He is just comparing to what he had before the Desire.
Yupe, but he does not have to put that line "may go back to iPhone".
Oh sure, he can go back to iPhone ... nobody will stop that.
Sorry for saying this, but I agreed with user Karolis about the OP attention seeker behavior.
513 said:
Hey man, calm down !
He is just comparing to what he had before the Desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am very calm and I hope daesimps will find a solution to his problem(s)
The idea behind the comment was to give people who couldn't be bothered to read the entire post an idea of my current thoughts on the handset.
There was no attention seeking behaviour. My current train of thought is "Not sure I've made the correct decision, but if I can fix these issues I'll be a very happy bunny".
The problem is that written text when constrained in a short amount of space (e.g. subject line on a forum) doesn't necessarily convey the correct emotion/intonation and can lead to confusion. Would people have been so outraged if I'd put "may return for refund"? Is it that I used the dreaded iPhone word?
I didn't think people would be so defensive/protective of their Desire. Many people are looking around for opinions/reviews on the phone and I thought I'd offer up my current thinking instead of jumping on the "I got a Desire, it's perfect and I love it" bandwagon.
There was not meant to be any offence to anyone on the board - just a highlight of some issues with a hope that someone could offer up a solution.
513 said:
Hey man, calm down !
He is just comparing to what he had before the Desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree. I believe the OP is just commenting on the fact that he has a few niggles which, if he cannot sort out, he may revert to his previous phone.
Would you still say he was being aggressive if he said 'i will revert to my HD2'? Maybe, maybe not.
I happen to agree, as my previous phone was an iphone, couldn't wait to get my hands on the Desire, and have felt massively disappointed with the overall experience.
I love Android, and the way it sits nicely between the flexibility of WinMo and the 'just works' of the iphone OS, so i don't think it's Android that has proven to be the weak point in my case.
It may sound silly, but it even boils down to the design of the handset as well. I always feel like i'm going to drop the phone. When i hold the iphone, it sits snug and safe in my hands, but the Desire is a different kettle of fish. Whether it's the slightly rubberised coating of the back, or the slimness, or even the slightly angled sides...something doesn't 'feel' right, and the phone wants to slide out of my hands! Try it, a few of my friends have even commented. Also, while i'm having a bit of a nag, the power button...just feels unnatural in that position (maybe because i'm right handed, but it seems a bit of a stretch).
SenseUI is a wonderful thing, but i feel that they/it tries to overload you with too much at once. Some people may like that, others not...would be interesting to see how many ex-iphone owners would agree with that.
So, getting back to the original post, yes i feel the same, the phone has a few niggles that cause me problems (not the same issues as the OP), and i'm very tempted to go back to using my iPhone.
Might try the Xperia X10, i know the hardware isn't on spec to the Desire (damn close though)...if not, it's the iPhone HD for me (and no, i am not an apple fanboy, just love the simplicity of the iphone - which is the only apple product i own!)
Regards
DF
datafanatic could u please tell us what it is you do not like about the desire? apart from the ugliness/ feeling its gonna drop/ and sense overload?
thanks.
Datafanatic said:
I totally agree. I believe the OP is just commenting on the fact that he has a few niggles which, if he cannot sort out, he may revert to his previous phone.
Would you still say he was being aggressive if he said 'i will revert to my HD2'? Maybe, maybe not.
I happen to agree, as my previous phone was an iphone, couldn't wait to get my hands on the Desire, and have felt massively disappointed with the overall experience.
I love Android, and the way it sits nicely between the flexibility of WinMo and the 'just works' of the iphone OS, so i don't think it's Android that has proven to be the weak point in my case.
It may sound silly, but it even boils down to the design of the handset as well. I always feel like i'm going to drop the phone. When i hold the iphone, it sits snug and safe in my hands, but the Desire is a different kettle of fish. Whether it's the slightly rubberised coating of the back, or the slimness, or even the slightly angled sides...something doesn't 'feel' right, and the phone wants to slide out of my hands! Try it, a few of my friends have even commented. Also, while i'm having a bit of a nag, the power button...just feels unnatural in that position (maybe because i'm right handed, but it seems a bit of a stretch).
SenseUI is a wonderful thing, but i feel that they/it tries to overload you with too much at once. Some people may like that, others not...would be interesting to see how many ex-iphone owners would agree with that.
So, getting back to the original post, yes i feel the same, the phone has a few niggles that cause me problems (not the same issues as the OP), and i'm very tempted to go back to using my iPhone.
Might try the Xperia X10, i know the hardware isn't on spec to the Desire (damn close though)...if not, it's the iPhone HD for me (and no, i am not an apple fanboy, just love the simplicity of the iphone - which is the only apple product i own!)
Regards
DF
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey DF,
I'd like to hear a more complete list of what you don't like about the Desire (especially vs your old iPhone 3gs). Could you elaborate on that?
Datafanatic said:
I totally agree. I believe the OP is just commenting on the fact that he has a few niggles which, if he cannot sort out, he may revert to his previous phone.....
Regards
DF
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DF,
Thanks - you hit the nail on the head. I'm not an Apple fan and have been really trying to get away from them, but at the end of the day I've always returned to the iPhone as it's the only thing that's ticked all the boxes.
I've decided I'm going to keep the Desire and use the iPhone for my media playback - as though it's an iPod.
I know what you mean about feeling disappointed. I had high hopes for the Desire and was looking forward to ditching Apple.
supasye/jm997 - Here are my list of niggles:-
* Media playback doesn't play back dual audio tracks for videos and can't show lyrics embedded into MP3 files. I've also noticed that if you go into the "Genre" view it only displays a standard list. For example, I have a load of tunes in Spanish and to help distinguish them in our media library they have a Genre of "Spanish". The Desire doesn't seem to understand this and shows them as "unknown genre".
* Volume from headphone jack is too low. I use a pillow speaker and whilst the iPhone was too loud the Desire is not quite loud enough even on max.
* Activesync. Doesn't show up Exchange managed folders.
* Battery. It's not very good although I hope it improves. I've set mail to sync every hour and turned all the others (e.g. twitter/facebook etc.) down to every 12 hours.
* Keyboard. It's very good, but the auto text correction doesn't always show on screen, for example in the search box in the Market app.
* Calendar. You can't set appointments to be free/busy/out of office etc. when you create them on the phone.
* Bluetooth. It's 2010 and it doesn't do voice dial, which I acknowledge is an Android thing and not a Desire thing. This is a major problem for the wife. Her Parrot car kit can do it if you send contacts to the kit and use it to record the voice tags. Unfortunately there is a compatibility issue and the Desire won't send contacts via bluetooth to the kit as it claims the kit doesn't support the push profile (which it does and works with all our other phones).
Overall I am happy enough to keep the phone, but disappointed. The speed, screen and overall interface are absolutely brilliant.
HTC are known for their business phones and I've had them for probably knocking on the last 10 years. Unfortunately I think there's too many business related issues (Activesync, bluetooth, calendar) for this to work as a business phone. However, given that the media playback isn't spot on, I can't see many people choosing it as a media phone given it's shortcomings in this area.
Dae.

WMP - No sound with MP4 files

This seems to be a well versed topic!
I took delivery of my Rhodium about six months ago and for the first time in about 6 years I got an HTC product which fullfilled all my immediate need OOTB and I didn't feel the need to HARDSPL instantly. Indeed, I found myself persuading my wife that here was the kit she'd been waiting for...would do everything she needed and wasn't Apple.
A few weeks ago she finally succumbed and I placed an order for hers. OOTB it won't play sound on MP4 files. Whilst the Sense version has changed this clearly has to be codec issue (has HTC decided not to pay the royalty's for AAC or something similar) as MP3's are fine...and I can't find anything obvious in the registry.
What seems like a lifetime ago, I had plenty of time to muck about with this stuff (with my limited knowledge of embedded OS), but now I just find myself
a) wanting a quick steer and
b) wanting to quickly get over my embarasement when my wife turns to me very smugly and says "I bet an iPhone would have done it all O-O-T-B" with the middle and index fingers of both her hands drawing irritating, air-qutoation marks in my face. Don't get me wrong, I love her dearly, but I hate this thing that is starting to feel like 'losing' over such a trivial issue.
So, to date and for my kit I have been using Wondershare Video Converter Platinum with the software setup to convert for iTouch/iPhone. The reproduction on this has been superb with only slightly inflated filesizes at perferct 25fps playback. If I take the same microSDHC from my kit and put it in the newer version I get perfect picture and no sound.
I really don't want to have to go down the route of third party software as the wife would quickly get used to the annoying traight of having to recompile the library every time she added something and just as readily allow for the 15 second lag whilst a movie bufferred.
I hope someone out there knows something that I can be massively greatful for.
Odd - files I've made with Handbrake (MP4 with AAC audio) all play fine in WMP and HTC album. While I got mine last fall like you, I am on Verizon's OEM 6.5 ROM after having flashed to that release early this year. So I don't think AAC is inherently lacking in WM 6.5. You didn't say if that is the ROM her phone has.
You might try Kinoma Play - I got it for other reasons but it claims to support AAC, among other things.
kierandill said:
Odd - files I've made with Handbrake (MP4 with AAC audio) all play fine in WMP and HTC album. While I got mine last fall like you, I am on Verizon's OEM 6.5 ROM after having flashed to that release early this year. So I don't think AAC is inherently lacking in WM 6.5. You didn't say if that is the ROM her phone has.
You might try Kinoma Play - I got it for other reasons but it claims to support AAC, among other things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Her newer kit is rom version 2.07.401.1 (80303) WWE
My older kit is rom version 1.86.401.4 (67102) WWE
Starting to think it might just be easier to take backups of both ROM's, hardspl the newer one and flash my ROM to it. Nut's and sledge-hammers spring to mind, but I am on a sticky wicket with this.
Thanks for the input.
Okay a little more playing reveals that the new kit doesn't like the AAC in H.264 whereas the older kit is fine. Even though both containersrun MPEG-4 and AAC at exactly the same bitrates the new kit wont reproduce the sound. What is it about the layer 10 specification that the new kit doesn't like. I wouldn't be too bothered about it except that the H.246 version is completely smooth whereas the traditional MPEG-4 format is very jittery. More when I find it.
Seems to me that there's several of us posting about this, but no one with the answer. I'm using Energy ROMs and my FUZE works fine, but my wife's Touch Pro II doesn't. I've tried several different converters, and so far no luck. Your post is a couple months old, so I was hoping maybe you have (had luck).
Sadly, no I have had no further luck with this. My wife has little time to use the video functionality so it hasn't proved to be too much of an issue, but it is good to know that we're not the only ones with the problem. We also have other problems with her unit and YES, she is wishing she had brought an iPhone and YES I wish I had let her!
Luckily, the iPhone isn't a choice for my wife with the whole T-Mobile thing. I haven't found a solution yet, but I just feel it has something to do with the installed audio codecs.
I've tried two free converters found here on XDA, and three other commercial ones to no avail. They just work on my Fuze and not on her Touch Pro II. I use the Energy ROMs on both phones, and I've tried posting to that thread, but got no response (as well as five or six other people having the problem). If I find a solution, I'll post it here since this thread is specific to the problem.

Considering Windows Phone 7

I currently own an iPhone 4 32GB on AT&T and I am considering a Windows Phone 7 device. Should I go ahead and sell my iPhone and purchase a device? I currently own a Zune (which I am selling) with a Zune Subscription (which I plan on keeping) and I am looking into selling my PS3 for an XBOX 360.
I have a lot of music, so that's what I do most. I also text and use the internet a lot, as well as check email. I also use Pandora quite a bit too (though with the Zune marketplace on the phone, probably not as much). I play games, but not often. I love the battery life of my iPhone. I also have an Otterbox to protect it's beauty. I am also a big fan of its screen and resolution. I use my phone as a camera too. Also, I want better navigation than what I currently get on my iPhone, which is MapQuest 4 (since the iPhone Maps sucks for navigation).
I have been considering the Samsung Focus, HTC Surround, and the LG Quantum. Are there more for AT&T I should consider? I really like the Dell Venue Pro, but it seems like it's not offered for AT&T.
So, what do you guys think? Should I jump ship? By the way, I LOVED the Zune and it's interface, if that helps.
Well really the only one who can decide is you. I'd head to a mobile store and just play with one until they kick you out. I have an LG Quantum, here are some thoughts:
-the software keyboard is. a-may-zing. I can type almost as fast on it as i can with two hands on a desktop. Bar none, the best I've ever used. If you text, this will blow you away. It just knows what you meant to type
-the zune player leaves a LOT to be desired, sound quality wise. wp7 needs an eq app soon. It'll get one, but for now, expect a flat sound. Very dissappointing.
-I don't know why I'm reading bad things about it, but the new IE is so fast it's overwhelming. It renders things very very quickly. Better than my wife's iPhone.
-the interface and UI is awesome. It's honestly the next step in smartphone software. Very impressive especially once you get used to it
-great Facebook integration. It adds all your Facebook/SIM contacts/hotmail contacts to one "contacts" app. Which at first sounds like too much. But after using it, I never want to go back. If I want to get a hold of anyone I've ever met, no matter from where, they're in my contacts hub. I can then choose to email them, post on their wall, text them, or call them. It's so quick and easy
sure haven't said:
Well really the only one who can decide is you. I'd head to a mobile store and just play with one until they kick you out. I have an LG Quantum, here are some thoughts:
-the software keyboard is. a-may-zing. I can type almost as fast on it as i can with two hands on a desktop. Bar none, the best I've ever used. If you text, this will blow you away. It just knows what you meant to type
-the zune player leaves a LOT to be desired, sound quality wise. wp7 needs an eq app soon. It'll get one, but for now, expect a flat sound. Very dissappointing.
-I don't know why I'm reading bad things about it, but the new IE is so fast it's overwhelming. It renders things very very quickly. Better than my wife's iPhone.
-the interface and UI is awesome. It's honestly the next step in smartphone software. Very impressive especially once you get used to it
-great Facebook integration. It adds all your Facebook/SIM contacts/hotmail contacts to one "contacts" app. Which at first sounds like too much. But after using it, I never want to go back. If I want to get a hold of anyone I've ever met, no matter from where, they're in my contacts hub. I can then choose to email them, post on their wall, text them, or call them. It's so quick and easy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a question on the sound. Is it comparable to the Zune, better or worse? What about in comparison to the iPhone?
I want to play with it but work and college kind of get in the way.
Like said above, go into a store and play with one. I'm gonna have to agree to everything sure said, windows phone 7 is amazing..the user interface is incredible. I've only had my HD7 for 4 days and I can't put it down. It's so smooth, the social integration with Facebook and your contacts is genius. Go play with one I doubt you'll be dissapointed
mariolopezjr said:
I currently own an iPhone 4 32GB on AT&T and I am considering a Windows Phone 7 device. Should I go ahead and sell my iPhone and purchase a device? I currently own a Zune (which I am selling) with a Zune Subscription (which I plan on keeping) and I am looking into selling my PS3 for an XBOX 360.
I have a lot of music, so that's what I do most. I also text and use the internet a lot, as well as check email. I also use Pandora quite a bit too (though with the Zune marketplace on the phone, probably not as much). I play games, but not often. I love the battery life of my iPhone. I also have an Otterbox to protect it's beauty. I am also a big fan of its screen and resolution. I use my phone as a camera too. Also, I want better navigation than what I currently get on my iPhone, which is MapQuest 4 (since the iPhone Maps sucks for navigation).
I have been considering the Samsung Focus, HTC Surround, and the LG Quantum. Are there more for AT&T I should consider? I really like the Dell Venue Pro, but it seems like it's not offered for AT&T.
So, what do you guys think? Should I jump ship? By the way, I LOVED the Zune and it's interface, if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With that list. Go for it. Now your decision boils down to which one.
Zune player sounds just fine. He must have really bad headphones or something. But it's at the very least on par with the iPhone if not better.
However, OP, I recommend you stick with the iPhone 4 for now. Several reasons.
WP7 is currently bug infested. You should probably wait and see how and if Microsoft is going to deal with it. You also should generally wait until Mango to see whether WP7 will take off or not. It's a bit of a gamble as of right now.
If you insist on taking the chance with WP7, I recommend you wait for Nokia's WP7 phones. The current hardware is pretty good but Nokia phones will probably have nice exclusives and, if they base them on the concepts, will be the sexiest phones out there.
All signals essentially point to 'wait.'
Based on friends of mine who have made the jump, I'd say go for it. They all love the UX on Phone 7 and while the platform does miss some functionality today it's not something that you will notice on a daily basis.
In the end though, it's a question only you can answer, so I'll agree with most others here and tell you to go have a play with it in store.
I have been a long term Windows phone user (version 5, 6.1 and 6.5). Unfortunately my current MDA Vario has developed a speaker problem and I'm forced to get a new phone (T Mobile have previously 'fixed' the problem which has now returned)
What you tend to forget is that you shouldn't buy an operating system - you purchese functionality. The key thing is whether the phone can satisfy all your requirements.
As for me, Windows 7 doesn't currently satisfy 3 key requirements:
1. No internet tethering out of the box (you have to really delve down to make this work)
2. No turn by turn navigation
4. No decent ebook reader which can read either lit or mobi format (although the Kindle application has been issued, there is no easy way to load my old books which I haven't purchased from Amazon). All in all I'm very disappointed that MS Reader has not been upgraded
As a mainly business user, I'm not really too interested in Zune or Games and am a bit unhappy about syncronisation via the cloud. As a haooy Napster user (supported in 6.5), I would have to swop to Zune
So what have I decided. I have gone ahead and purchased a used HTC Diamon Pro 2 running 6.5. This will do everything I want and I will wait until Windows 7 finally catches up.
sandravale said:
1. No internet tethering out of the box (you have to really delve down to make this work)
2. No turn by turn navigation
4. No decent ebook reader which can read either lit or mobi format (although the Kindle application has been issued, there is no easy way to load my old books which I haven't purchased from Amazon). All in all I'm very disappointed that MS Reader has not been upgraded
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. While I understand what you're saying it really doesn't ring true with me. If you own a Samsung you can enable tethering in 15 or so taps (including entering all the numbers).
2. Really? I have turn-by-turn on my Omnia7. Works great too. AT&T also seem to be offering some sort of navigational package, as does several other carriers around the world.
I can't comment on the ebook reader situation as I find the phone too small to read large chunks of text on anyway, but your point seems valid enough.
sandravale said:
As a mainly business user, I'm ... a bit unhappy about syncronisation via the cloud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? What's your problem with the cloud exactly? Not being confrontational here, just wondering what, if any, gripes you have about using a secure always available filestore. I can understand some people not wanting to store their confidential documents on a random SkyDrive, but as a business you can run a locked down Sharepoint server locally.
I moved from a 32gb iPhone 4 to a Samsung Focus on the basis of the strength of the Zune platform. There have been drawbacks to moving over to such a new platform (marketplace bug being one main one, lack of apps being another) but also benefits such as the close facebook integration, UI, live tiles and above all, the zune integration.
I've had no sense that the zune player quality is worse (nor better) than the iphone. The desktop client and zunepass blow iTunes away. There really is no comparison.
I would play around with current phones, but as someone above said, you may want to wait and see if they announce any Nokia phones in the April timeframe (MIX 11). Although I guess the resale value of the iP4 will decline after the iP4s/5 gets released this summer.
mKTank said:
Zune player sounds just fine. He must have really bad headphones or something. But it's at the very least on par with the iPhone if not better.
However, OP, I recommend you stick with the iPhone 4 for now. Several reasons.
WP7 is currently bug infested. You should probably wait and see how and if Microsoft is going to deal with it. You also should generally wait until Mango to see whether WP7 will take off or not. It's a bit of a gamble as of right now.
If you insist on taking the chance with WP7, I recommend you wait for Nokia's WP7 phones. The current hardware is pretty good but Nokia phones will probably have nice exclusives and, if they base them on the concepts, will be the sexiest phones out there.
All signals essentially point to 'wait.'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A) No, my headphones are good quality. The PSP (generation ONE), and Samsung Omnia 2 blow it out of the water. They sound EQ'd, with presence and body. My Quantum just sounds flat.
B) After reading your post, you sound like a hater. So OP, please disregard his comments. Wp7 is not "bug ridden", it works just fine. Not sure why you insist on claiming getting a wp7 is "taking a chance". I think that description would be more apt to an Android phone, as the fragmentation has assured no one can tell which device will actually be good. As for wp7, there are hardware minimums across the board, and the software is smoother than silk. Haters gonna hate I suppose.
mariolopezjr said:
I currently own an iPhone 4 32GB on AT&T and I am considering a Windows Phone 7 device. Should I go ahead and sell my iPhone and purchase a device? I currently own a Zune (which I am selling) with a Zune Subscription (which I plan on keeping) and I am looking into selling my PS3 for an XBOX 360.
I have a lot of music, so that's what I do most. I also text and use the internet a lot, as well as check email. I also use Pandora quite a bit too (though with the Zune marketplace on the phone, probably not as much). I play games, but not often. I love the battery life of my iPhone. I also have an Otterbox to protect it's beauty. I am also a big fan of its screen and resolution. I use my phone as a camera too. Also, I want better navigation than what I currently get on my iPhone, which is MapQuest 4 (since the iPhone Maps sucks for navigation).
I have been considering the Samsung Focus, HTC Surround, and the LG Quantum. Are there more for AT&T I should consider? I really like the Dell Venue Pro, but it seems like it's not offered for AT&T.
So, what do you guys think? Should I jump ship? By the way, I LOVED the Zune and it's interface, if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. You shouldn't, especially if you already have a Zune.
That's just my opinion.
I had almost the same exact decision to make a few weeks ago. I was going to upgrade and it was either the iPhone 4 or the Samsung Focus. I went with the Samsung Focus because I already have an iPad, but it truly is a great device. Theres some bug's with it, but I'm counting on Microsoft to fix them.
Things I like:
1. Camera button
2. Interface (duh)
3. Facebook integration (I like being able to add a contact and have it automatically pull in all that users information for me)
4. Nice keyboard (like it better than the iPhones, but it still has its gripes)
5. Zune Software instead of iTunes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Bigger screen (Focus has a 4 inch screen and it is a big difference from the iPhone's small 3.5 inch screen)
7. Bing voice search (this is something I show all my friends. I can just say "hamburger" and it finds all the local hamburger joints around me wicked fast)
8. Flash support is coming (http://wmpoweruser.com/flash-10-2-incoming-but-no-wp7-date-announced/)
Things I don't like:
1. Marketplace is very slow, laggy, and unstable
2. Battery life isn't quite as good as the iPhone 4
3. Camera settings reset (this is not a feature Microsoft...)
4. Not as good browser (no html 5, different format that isn't quite as mobile friendly, no reordering of bookmarks).
5. Apps need PERMISSION to run under the lockscreen. If they don't even have this option they must be relaunched after you unlock your screen (why?!?!?!)
6. Less API support
7. No multitasking (will be coming this year though)
All in all make the jump as you have a 30 day period to return it (I'm still debating). If you keep it and you end up not liking it after awhile you will be just in time to upgrade to the iPhone 6 when it comes out in 2013 (possible benefit?)!
mariolopezjr said:
I have a question on the sound. Is it comparable to the Zune, better or worse? What about in comparison to the iPhone?
I want to play with it but work and college kind of get in the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never used a Zune so I can't comment, but see my other post about comparing it to other devices. My wife has an iPhone, but I've never tested them side by side (that would include hooking each one up to itunes/zune and transferring the same song, etc... I'm just way too lazy for that, sorry, at least I'm being honest)
ErikWithNoC said:
4. Not as good browser (no html 5, different format that isn't quite as mobile friendly, no reordering of bookmarks).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, there it is. I've been surfing on my phone since I got it... never had a problem rendering any site. Unless you're going to some flash-laden bloatfest, I don't understand how you can't think that this IE is fantastic.
emigrating said:
1. While I understand what you're saying it really doesn't ring true with me. If you own a Samsung you can enable tethering in 15 or so taps (including entering all the numbers).
2. Really? I have turn-by-turn on my Omnia7. Works great too. AT&T also seem to be offering some sort of navigational package, as does several other carriers around the world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. That's one phone on one carrier. That doesn't work. If you have T-Mobile the Samsung hack will not work. It's an outliar, and non-factor in the grand scheme of things.
2. No one in their right mind pays for Turn by Turn on a smartphone unless they need offline maps. Why pay $10 a month for Navigation when an HD2 can do it for free in Windows Mobile with the Bing App? Or an Android phone with Google Maps? $10 a month is a lot to pay just for Navigation.
The only carrier that makes sense for is Sprint, since they give away their Navigation features for free if you have their $69 (soon 79) plan. But Sprint currently has no WP7 devices.
I can't comment on the ebook reader situation as I find the phone too small to read large chunks of text on anyway, but your point seems valid enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's your opinion, but you have pinch to zoom and automatic text restructuring in these apps that make it trivial to read. This wouldn't be a big issue if Microsoft had decent Skydrive integration in the phone. In that case you'd just need to upload them to you skydrive and find an app that can read that file format. But that isn't coming for over 6 months...
Really? What's your problem with the cloud exactly? Not being confrontational here, just wondering what, if any, gripes you have about using a secure always available filestore. I can understand some people not wanting to store their confidential documents on a random SkyDrive, but as a business you can run a locked down Sharepoint server locally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people just like to have better control over their stuff. There's nothing wrong with it and he doesn't have to have a problem to have this specific qualm with any smartphone platform. They are all a bit too cloud-centric, IMO.
sure haven't said:
See, there it is. I've been surfing on my phone since I got it... never had a problem rendering any site. Unless you're going to some flash-laden bloatfest, I don't understand how you can't think that this IE is fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are HTML5 Mobile websites that are much better to use than their desktop (or WAP) counterparts on a smartphone browser.
touch.facebook.com >>> facebook.com or m.facebook.com on a mobile browser - by far. That is just one example. There are dozens if not more. HTML5 support being missing is a strike. NOt saying they need to implement the entire HTML5 Draft Spec tomorrow, but launching with basically no support for it was not a good idea, IMO.
With Multi-Tasking and third party browsers this would not be an issue, though, since we'd probably have Opera or some other Mobile Browser (probably WebKit) ported to it. If Microsoft had implemented a dual (Trident + WebKit) rendering engine, that would have been a killer feature... With the ability to set defaults on a site by site basis, of course.
N8ter said:
1. That's one phone on one carrier. That doesn't work. If you have T-Mobile the Samsung hack will not work. It's an outliar, and non-factor in the grand scheme of things.
2. No one in their right mind pays for Turn by Turn on a smartphone unless they need offline maps. Why pay $10 a month for Navigation when an HD2 can do it for free in Windows Mobile with the Bing App? Or an Android phone with Google Maps? $10 a month is a lot to pay just for Navigation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I disagree as it's not only achievable on the Samsung handsets (of which there are actually 2 available), the LG ones are just as easy. HTC handsets can also tether but IIRC, yes, you do have to dwelwe a little deeper. Point is, out of the 9 launch handsets, 4 can tether by entering a few numbers onto the phone - so do what people did way back when, chose a device based on functionality rather than looks. Also, as a business user, get yourself an off contract device - it costs the same (or in many cases less) in the long run, but gives you more choice. Also, don't forget the world is a lot larger than the US, the Omnia7 can be had on pretty much any network you like in Europe - on-contract if you so please.
2. I don't pay. Navigon came free with my off-contract Omnia7. Sure, I had to spoof the Navigon http server for map downloads other than Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, but there is no monthly fee. I realize some of the other carriers do charge you (ATT being one), but the point here is that there are options available to you. Regarding paying for navigation, as much as I love Bing (or even Google) maps due to its satellite imagery it's not, IMO, a replacement for a dedicated navigational tool ... yet, and looking at the sales statistics for these apps on the iPhone, most people seem to agree with me.
I'm not condoning the fact Bing did not have turn-by-turn out of the box, far from it, but to broadly say "No turn-by-turn" available and use that as one of three reasons for dropping the OS is just wrong.
N8ter said:
That's your opinion, but you have pinch to zoom and automatic text restructuring in these apps that make it trivial to read.
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Click to collapse
Of course it's my opinion. Pinch to zoom or text reflow makes no difference to me, I still don't like reading books on a 4" display. That's what tablets are for IMO. Like I said though, I wasn't really commenting on it and agreed that his point was valid.
N8ter said:
Some people just like to have better control over their stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better control? How can you have better control than a correctly configured and secured Sharepoint server hosted by yourself? Sure, you could live in the old days and manually copy files on and off your phone, forever wondering if that really was the final version or the second to last draft or whether your colleague had amended it between your last sync and the presentation, but really. Are you serious?
Using your phone as a mass storage device was never a good idea - it was a stop-gap measure because at the time it was invented/popular we didn't have S3 or properly configured corporate networks that allowed users access on-the-go.
sure haven't said:
See, there it is. I've been surfing on my phone since I got it... never had a problem rendering any site. Unless you're going to some flash-laden bloatfest, I don't understand how you can't think that this IE is fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying its a bad browser, it is in fact very good, but not quite as polished as iOS's Safari browser. I like to organize my bookmarks from most used -> least used, but WP7 only organizes them alphabetically. iOS use's WebKit for its browser which is more supported than IE's rendering engine (what is it?). If you go to gmail for example you will get a hampered down dump phone mobile view (this is simply for example, other sites do this as well).
Yeah, ironically IE renders mobile sites way worse than Android or iPhone. The websites are partly to blame because of course they have had lots of time to optimize for those platforms. I don't mind the rendering of full sites... sometimes the font sizes are way off, but overall not bad and at least it's quick.
All in all the browsing experience is not as good as the other mobile platforms. I've got high hopes that IE9 fixes that.
Sent from my GT-I9000M

HTC Media Link HD quick review

The medialink HD arrived this morning, as it was a free gift courtesy of phones4u. I played around with it for 2 hours, and this is what I think:
It was incredibly easy to set up and use, it even came with a stand so you can stick it on top of your HDTV. So that is a nice little bonus!
The actual product itself is MUCH smaller than I thought it would be, I thought it would be at least the size of the One X, but no, it's pretty damn small!
One thing I noticed, is that when playing an intense game like Blood and glory, it stutters for the for 2 minutes of gameplay, then it seems to run like a hot knife through butter, I found this was the same with web browsing too!
HD content and games overall look amazing, HTC actually got something right first time for once! I really recommend this product to ANYONE with a One X! Any questions more than welcome of course
First question, can I buy yours off you? £20 delivered?
twe69 said:
First question, can I buy yours off you? £20?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering I actually use it and people are buying them second hand for £70, sorry pal but no, sure you can find some on ebay though
Is it connected through Bluetooth or wifi?
What sort of range does it have before you get too far away from the TV?
mickfitz said:
Is it connected through Bluetooth or wifi?
What sort of range does it have before you get too far away from the TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither to my knowledge, but then again have not tried it with wifi off, does not use bluetooth. and I can be a good 6 metres away before it stutters
Hi, Got mine this morning so thought I would add my own review.
Agree with OP, much smaller than I expected, making it very portable. Will upload some pictures shortly. Its made of plastic, but has a good weight to it, to make it not feel cheap. The box it came in was rubbish though!
To clarify questions I originally had -
It needs a WiFi connection to work
It needs to be plugged in to a power supply. Cable Provided
It uses HDMI. Cable provided
Minor lag after initial start up, but then ok.
Quick Buffer rates.
At the minute (I've only played around with it for an hour or so) but my feelings are its OK. I'm not blown away by it just yet and here is why.
Didn't want to connect initially despite me following the 5 simple steps to the letter. They really are simple so might say something about me! To the point I was going to send it back. Eventually though it worked, although i did exactly what I had originally. (Thinking it through it may be due to me having several broadband connections in my house, it may have switched midway through pairing)
As OP said, the first minute or 2 you experience random lag for 1, maybe 2 seconds at a time, after that its all good.
If I am playing a video, i cant see it on the phone as the image freezes on the first film image, although it plays fine on the TV.
It didn't want to work with MX PLayer, so had to use stock for viewing recordings and downloaded videos.
I don't have any "True" HD content on my phone yet (700mb stuff ;P), but this highlights the lack of quality that you don't originally see on the phones screen. Netflix for example, although picture is good on the phone, it is clearly a "stream" on the TV as the image is pixelated slightly. ESPN goals is the same (although on phone its not great, on TV is clearly worst).
If the phone content is in HD, games etc (I assume same with films), it looks sweet, and ignoring the start up lag it works really well for games.
In summary (and I don't want this to sound like im knocking it), I think it is more of a party piece, rather than a day to day item you would use. Great for sharing pictures or videos you have taken with family/friends rather than them passing your phone around the room.
Its very quick, images/video buffer very fast and play within seconds. Apart from MX Player, everything I have asked it to display on the TV it has, so there are no copyright restrictions that I can see at this stage, unlike AppleTV.
A perfect accessory for those that travel alot or spend a lot of time in hotel rooms.
jaspabt said:
Hi, Got mine this morning so thought I would add my own review.
Agree with OP, much smaller than I expected, making it very portable. Will upload some pictures shortly. Its made of plastic, but has a good weight to it, to make it not feel cheap. The box it came in was rubbish though!
To clarify questions I originally had -
It needs a WiFi connection to work
It needs to be plugged in to a power supply. Cable Provided
It uses HDMI. Cable provided
Minor lag after initial start up, but then ok.
Quick Buffer rates.
At the minute (I've only played around with it for an hour or so) but my feelings are its OK. I'm not blown away by it just yet and here is why.
Didn't want to connect initially despite me following the 5 simple steps to the letter. They really are simple so might say something about me! To the point I was going to send it back. Eventually though it worked, although i did exactly what I had originally. (Thinking it through it may be due to me having several broadband connections in my house, it may have switched midway through pairing)
As OP said, the first minute or 2 you experience random lag for 1, maybe 2 seconds at a time, after that its all good.
If I am playing a video, i cant see it on the phone as the image freezes on the first film image, although it plays fine on the TV.
It didn't want to work with MX PLayer, so had to use stock for viewing recordings and downloaded videos.
I don't have any "True" HD content on my phone yet (700mb stuff ;P), but this highlights the lack of quality that you don't originally see on the phones screen. Netflix for example, although picture is good on the phone, it is clearly a "stream" on the TV as the image is pixelated slightly. ESPN goals is the same (although on phone its not great, on TV is clearly worst).
If the phone content is in HD, games etc (I assume same with films), it looks sweet, and ignoring the start up lag it works really well for games.
In summary (and I don't want this to sound like im knocking it), I think it is more of a party piece, rather than a day to day item you would use. Great for sharing pictures or videos you have taken with family/friends rather than them passing your phone around the room.
Its very quick, images/video buffer very fast and play within seconds. Apart from MX Player, everything I have asked it to display on the TV it has, so there are no copyright restrictions that I can see at this stage, unlike AppleTV.
A perfect accessory for those that travel alot or spend a lot of time in hotel rooms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AGREED! although mine connected fine, no worries, I have a picture here excellent review btw!
anyone got an amazon link for me or ebay ?
serial?!
would like to get the right one and not an old one ....
jonas2295 said:
anyone got an amazon link for me or ebay ?
serial?!
would like to get the right one and not an old one ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.de/HTC-H200-Wirel...HH70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336138033&sr=8-1
I think that is it, German Amazon, as guessing from your flag, Your from Germany lol.
jonas2295 said:
anyone got an amazon link for me or ebay ?
serial?!
would like to get the right one and not an old one ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-H...ories_MobilePhoneChargers&hash=item4cff3700cc
or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/HTC-H200-Media-Wireless-Adaptor/dp/B007IYHH70
Its already reduced on AMAZON !!!!! You want to get the H200 HD, the old one is not HD and is the DG H100.
technostein said:
http://www.amazon.de/HTC-H200-Wirel...HH70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336138033&sr=8-1
I think that is it, German Amazon, as guessing from your flag, Your from Germany lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you so much
yep you guessed right wasn´t sure if it would be the correct one but now I am ...
There is about 0.2 second lag if you are using it for hardcore gaming. I just thought I would point that out.
It is a fantastic concept and well executed....other than the horrible shiny black casing that comes slightly marked and gets further marked by breathing on it.
It uses your Wi-Fi network. The phone somehow informs the media link of your WiFi network and password. I am not sure how it achieves this. After doing so, the Media link has an IP address. It will automatically update its firmware when you are not using it. So further improvements for some of the hesitancy that some of reported may come.
But it truly is plug and play.
jonstatt said:
There is about 0.2 second lag if you are using it for hardcore gaming. I just thought I would point that out.
It is a fantastic concept and well executed....other than the horrible shiny black casing that comes slightly marked and gets further marked by breathing on it.
It uses your Wi-Fi network. The phone somehow informs the media link of your WiFi network and password. I am not sure how it achieves this. After doing so, the Media link has an IP address. It will automatically update its firmware when you are not using it. So further improvements for some of the hesitancy that some of reported may come.
But it truly is plug and play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your Wifi speed is obviously faster than mine then as Blood and Glory lags for me for the first 2 minutes
technostein said:
Your Wifi speed is obviously faster than mine then as Blood and Glory lags for me for the first 2 minutes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a high-end Wifi solution (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz 450Mbps per frequency) and the medialink is reporting using my 5Ghz frequency, which is nice and clear from interference. That probably helps.
jonstatt said:
I have a high-end Wifi solution (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz 450Mbps per frequency) and the medialink is reporting using my 5Ghz frequency, which is nice and clear from interference. That probably helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it knows your WiFi password and stuff due to the fact it is only transmitting the One X display to the TV, if it did need a password you would surely need a HDTV with internet capabilities too.
Received mine from dialaphone today. Very easy to set up but seems to be quite laggy for me, might experiment with different frequencies in case its interfering with my WiFi.
The problem i seem to have with this is that when i am playing a movie i am supposed to be able to leave the movie running and use my phone as normal,
This does not happen it justs says screen locked on my phone any button i press like home or running apps stops the movie playing
I have a problem with my Media Link HD, my phone doesn't seem to be able to configure, it keeps getting stuck 3/4 during the configuring process, I am running Leedroids 5.0 and have activated Multicast on my Virgin Media superhub (it says multicast should be activated in the manual) any ideas guys on how to connect them?
azazin said:
I have a problem with my Media Link HD, my phone doesn't seem to be able to configure, it keeps getting stuck 3/4 during the configuring process, I am running Leedroids 5.0 and have activated Multicast on my Virgin Media superhub (it says multicast should be activated in the manual) any ideas guys on how to connect them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am guessing stock ROM works best.
technostein said:
I am guessing stock ROM works best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's working fine now, just kept restarting both the medialink and phone and now it's finally connected, going to use the superhub in modem mode now though to improve the WiFi signal

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