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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
I have been playing with it all day, my HTC Surround is quite a toy. While this is version 1.0 of WP7, its pretty good. There are maybe 125 free apps in the market place and most paid apps are $1-$3 or more. I see a lot of potential. The interface is responsive. It's not perfect but I expect MS will address all of its shortcomings. I lost all of my favorite installed apps I had on my Dash 3G - all the TV and radio apps, my MIRC app, most of the things I really care about, so I am holding onto my Dash for now. But I am SURE most of these apps will be ported over sooner than later. If I get desparate, I'll pay AT&T the $10 they want for their streaming app. Video quality is OK using the Zune software. I used it convert my smaller .mp4's using the Zune converter. I may get sharper pictures if I convert from the original .avi's. There are a few free radio apps that work well. So far I don't see any 3rd party video news apps, maybe Netflix is good, so haven't figured out how to get Sky video news, but again i am sure it will be available soon. There's a glitch in windows live causing some people to get error messages, but MS says they will have that fixed shortly. IExp works great, as does the weather maps and search. My contacts downloaded fine from my sim card and synced fine to my computer. All in all this was a good move....can't wait for the rest to come!
Congrats!! And a few questions please
Have you ever played with an HTC Aria and its Sense touch technology? Is the HTC touch interface the same or as stunning on your new phone? I love my Captivate (which askpcguy just helped me unbrick ), but have really always loved Windows' PC OS and the HTC Sense on my Aria just really seemed snappier to me than Samsung's TouchWiz. My fiancee will get my Captivate, but I'm torn between one of the new AT&T 7 phones or a decent touchscreen/real keyboard Android if and when AT&T gets one. I miss my real BB keyboard, but the Torch is too underpowered and the screen is to small for my aging eyes.
Also, I read a few reviews on your excellent phone at PCmag, CNET and Endgadget earlier today, and Endgadget mentioned the fact that the speakers are muffled when closed and you have to really have them open to hear well. That seems logical, but is it as noticeable as they lead one to believe please? Can you hear a call come in well? Endgadget indicates those are the only speakers on the phone, and if muffled, would I still hear my ringtones? For a totally useless question, can you set a whole song as a ringtone, or are you limited to a certain file size like most phones nowadays (my old Krzr, which I used today while Captivate was out of service, can handle a whole song, why not smartphones? One of those things that make me go hmmm?). The same review had issues with the kickstand. What have you noticed please?
I read an interview with HTC's owner and founder in Businessweek this past week, and he is truly a trendsetter. HTC came out of nowhere and are making the best touchscreens I've seen to date (just eclipsed by Samsung and Apple for now in crispness - but that won't be the case for long).
HTC Sense Hub
this is one of the reasons I went with the Surround instead of the Samsung (ok the screen is a bit smaller but I like the build and HTC seems to have better continuing device support)
Well back to the HTC hub, it is very sense like but not as we are used to on WM/Android devices, imho there is a bit too much animation but it is very cool and the device seems to handle the graphice very well. the hub mainly consists of the basic clock/weather combo with links to additional HTC free apps that are many of the unique value added apps we all know and love, Flashlight, calc, a very cool picture enhancer and some others that must be installed, the few att bloat ware present can be easily removed (a first i think) it's not the same as we are used to but they did a nice job of adding the HTC feel as a component to the metro interface. these are just my observations/thoughts and your milage may vary.
Cheers
BR
1toadfacedfrump said:
Have you ever played with an HTC Aria and its Sense touch technology? Is the HTC touch interface the same or as stunning on your new phone? I love my Captivate (which askpcguy just helped me unbrick ), but have really always loved Windows' PC OS and the HTC Sense on my Aria just really seemed snappier to me than Samsung's TouchWiz. My fiancee will get my Captivate, but I'm torn between one of the new AT&T 7 phones or a decent touchscreen/real keyboard Android if and when AT&T gets one. I miss my real BB keyboard, but the Torch is too underpowered and the screen is to small for my aging eyes.
Also, I read a few reviews on your excellent phone at PCmag, CNET and Endgadget earlier today, and Endgadget mentioned the fact that the speakers are muffled when closed and you have to really have them open to hear well. That seems logical, but is it as noticeable as they lead one to believe please? Can you hear a call come in well? Endgadget indicates those are the only speakers on the phone, and if muffled, would I still hear my ringtones? For a totally useless question, can you set a whole song as a ringtone, or are you limited to a certain file size like most phones nowadays (my old Krzr, which I used today while Captivate was out of service, can handle a whole song, why not smartphones? One of those things that make me go hmmm?). The same review had issues with the kickstand. What have you noticed please?
I read an interview with HTC's owner and founder in Businessweek this past week, and he is truly a trendsetter. HTC came out of nowhere and are making the best touchscreens I've seen to date (just eclipsed by Samsung and Apple for now in crispness - but that won't be the case for long).
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Click to collapse
I hate to break it to you, but HTC cuts a lot of corners. Especially lately. It may be due to demand or whatever, but it's one of the primary reasons I'm looking to buy from another manufacturer this time around. I believe they used to make KIRFs, by the way. Though, I have no source on that.
I really don't like my Surround, but HTC never made KIRFS. HTC made just about everyone else's PDA and WinMo phones back in the day though. Including the XDA (hence the name of this forum, which is based on HTC phones). It wasn't until around 2006/2007 that they started trying to be a brand name in their own right though.
Croak said:
I really don't like my Surround, but HTC never made KIRFS. HTC made just about everyone else's PDA and WinMo phones back in the day though. Including the XDA (hence the name of this forum, which is based on HTC phones). It wasn't until around 2006/2007 that they started trying to be a brand name in their own right though.
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Click to collapse
Are you going to give the Focus a try? I played with one at the store today and have to admit, it was pretty nice. Didn't look or feel cheap to me.
No, I own a Galaxy S I9000M that's in for repairs, with that I get the same 4" SAMOLED as the Focus, AND a real OS. Once it comes back, this Windows Phone 7 detour is over. After a day of using it, I'm certain Windows Phone 7 is not for me.
On the other hand, this might just be the perfect OS for my father, who still can't set the clock on his microwave.
ericc191 said:
I hate to break it to you, but HTC cuts a lot of corners. Especially lately. It may be due to demand or whatever, but it's one of the primary reasons I'm looking to buy from another manufacturer this time around. I believe they used to make KIRFs, by the way. Though, I have no source on that.
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Click to collapse
Agreed, agreed, agreed! I don't think I'm ever going to buy another HTC device, ever, which is why I never looked very hard at Android. I've been burned by their corner cutting several times too many. I was also burned by that WinMo phone from LG that was supposed to sell with the snap on projector and had "numerous UI enhancements" from LG which actually made the already lousy WinMo 6.5 UI even WORSE. It was a bad phone and I don't think AT&T tried selling it for very long. So I went with the Samsung Focus and so far I'm impressed. The hardware is nice, it works well and the system, while spartan, works well and hasn't slowed or crashed on me. As was also mentioned, I have a TON of stuff I use on a regular basis on the iPhone so I haven't sold it, nor am I 100% committed to the Focus yet....I have 30 days to return it and I may do that. But so far I have no reason to do so PLUS Slingplayer, my favorite app of all, is already available for WP. I waited almost a full year for Slingplayer for the iPhone and the day after I buy a WP phone, there it is. Now that's impressive!
Lots of interesting ideas and advice, and I love gaining the pros and cons of devices, as well as the history (thanks Croak ). You guys certainly know your stuff, but before you give up on HTC, get last week's Bloomberg Businessweek and read the interview with the top man, because if he knew of the problems you speak of it appears he would be highly upset. Some of what Croak indicated are in that same article. He seems to be a perfectionist like Mr. Jobs; but being human, we will never attain such a lofty goal, but sure have fun trying.
FWIW, the Sense UI blows me away, which is why I miss the underpowered Aria.
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.
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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?
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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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...
i havent seen any threads posted or anything here whats going on? did u sprint guys pass on the arrive or something?
I will probably get one off contract this week. Not a fan of the form factor, but I need to replace my Diamond ASAP.
Not on Sprint.
I ordered. Looking at other forums it appears that instore stock at most stores was very limited. No best Buys or Radio Shacks carried it. Amazon and Wirefly had it cheaper, but it wont be here until wednesday.
I got one on Sat 3/20, pretty neat so far. I catch myself using my old WebOS gestures sometimes.
I got one today (3/21) Had carried an EVO since day one. still have both. so far so good. the biggest reason Im most likely gonna keep the arrive is the zune player and zune pass.
I posted this review on sprintusers.com:
I came from the Hero running the latest official ROM (Android 2.1 I believe). I've actually extensively played around with WP7 prior to this so I'm very familiar with the OS. IMO there is no comparison between the two devices. It had gotten to the point where I didn't use my Hero for anything other than phone calls and SMS becaues it was so slow. And it wasn't as if I had a bunch of stuff loaded onto it. Even after hard-resetting and only loading absolute essentials (such as Exchange data) it was still SLOOOOW. (lags to switch between screens, pull up menus, open SMS, etc.)
The Arrive on the other hand is lightning quick for the things I want it to do. It loads apps very quickly and never seems to bog down. I've managed to load two exchange accounts as well as several GB of music and videos, sync with FB, etc., and it's still fast. Fast to make phone calls, fast to SMS, fast to load apps. As I said, I have extensively played around with WP7 (was able to borrow a friend's HD7 for several days) so none of this is a suprise to me. Software-wise it delivers exactly as I thought it would.
Comparing the hardware to the HD7 has been interesting. I thought I would find the screen too small on the Arrive but it actually seems to be ok. Definitely smaller than the HD7 (obviously) but not so small as to be a deal-breaker. The biggest surprise has been the quality of the screens between the two. The HD7 colors are very washed out and the screen in general is kind of "meh". The Arrive screen though, really POPS. Colors are nice and saturated and the screen in general seems sharper. My friend who owns the HD7 agreed during a side-by-side comparison. As far as weight, it is noticeably heavier than the HD7. However I think the Arrive feels higher-end than the HD7, even though there is a lot of plastic in both. I can't put my finger on it-- maybe because it's more dense, i.e. more mass in a smaller package, it just seems more substantial.
The keyboard is a pleasure to use-- I have not had a physical keyboard since my HTC Apache back in '06 (!) and I realize now what I have been missing. Very easy to type, intuitive key placement, and good tactile feedback.
All in all I'm very satisfied with the phone. The limitations of the OS have been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere, but as long as you are ok with those limitations you won't be disappointed.
-R
my friend is picking his up today from wirefly
he has been wanting a windows phone since seeing my hd7 and dell venue pro. He likes it already and it's not even here
that said
battery life?
If only it has AT&T/T-Mo's US 3G, =(
i went to 3 sprint stores near my neighborhood, all sold out...
theclueless said:
i went to 3 sprint stores near my neighborhood, all sold out...
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you mean they didn't order any?
orangekid said:
you mean they didn't order any?
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Haha. Im assuming your right
Well the Arrive/7 Pro has it's own Forum section at the verrrrrry bottom of XDA. Most of the posts are there.
I bought one for myself and one for my wife. I am really digging it, there are obviously some things that is missing, but the overall responsiveness and "just works" is great.
i just got mine and i've been trying to activate it for a while..being stubborn...
ms79723 said:
i just got mine and i've been trying to activate it for a while..being stubborn...
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If it won't connect to sprint network/activate, go into your settings-->Cellular--> Change Network Profile/Update PRL.
I had to this on mine after the Sprint store activated it because it would not make phone calls/connect to the internet. My wife who got her activated at the same time by the same person did not have to do this.
orangekid said:
you mean they didn't order any?
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That coming from a T-mobile user who in a year will have to buy an ATT Phone
cyclical said:
If it won't connect to sprint network/activate, go into your settings-->Cellular--> Change Network Profile/Update PRL.
I had to this on mine after the Sprint store activated it because it would not make phone calls/connect to the internet. My wife who got her activated at the same time by the same person did not have to do this.
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yeah, that worked. i stumbled upon that a little after posting my last comment and 10 seconds after stumbling upon it, the person from sprint told me to do it.
All I can say about this phone is that this sht is immaculate!
Got mine sat. And I love it, was coming from the evo . I hate the evo and android but I do miss some of it's features! Don't think I'll look back
I pre-ordered mine and picked it up Sunday. I think the thing is very nice. I came from a HTC Hero. What surprised me is the thickness is only sightly more than the hero. It's noticeable but just slightly.
There are a few quirks to get used to, especially multitasking limitations. But the speed, flow and intuitive interface make up for that. Thinking about it, even though my rooted Hero did multitasking, the performance was so bad, it ruined the experience (same goes for my wife's Evo).
I still find myself using the soft keyboard -- but for the long/detailed email composing, you cannot beat having a physical keyboard (screen real estate).
deadwrong03 said:
i havent seen any threads posted or anything here whats going on? did u sprint guys pass on the arrive or something?
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I had two on pre-order. Picked them up on Sun. afternoon (3/20).
I entered my Live ID and had contacts, Xbox, ZunePass configured by the time I hit the parking lot. When I got in the car I added my main Hotmail account, and when I got home I configured it for Exchange. The rest was spent exploring apps (no, Steve Jobs, NOT "apples").
The wife was another story, she's spent a few days on the migration - mostly because she hadn't synced her phone with Outlook in the 30 days prior, she wanted to migrate her PST to another machine, and she hadn't properly configured Outlook to sync with Windows Live. (Edit: Here's the Live support forum thread on that issue)
She's getting where she needs to be - but I think migrating her old Calendar items are giving her problems. She's posted in the Windows Live support forums and I'll try to post a link to the issue later. It's not really a WP7 issue - just a sync issue she's having between Outlook and Hotmail Calendar.
So I guess how smooth it goes depends on how much you embrace the Windows Live "cloud" concept. In my case, I've never had an easier more care-free migration to a new phone. The wife's experience has been frustrating, but mostly because she's having to learn a lot of new things at once and of course she's in a big hurry. Procrastinators of the world unite... tomorrow - right?
with skype video calls coming to wp7 is there any hope for the current phones to do video chat?
i remember seeing a picture of something that connects to the camera lens on the cell phones and sits at the top of the phone to let u do video chats on phones without a front facing camera...is this real or was i seeing something photoshopped?
because after mix 2011...it seems like it might be best to wait til the newer mango ready phones with possibly a front facing camera comes out to go wp7.
Just wish they add FFC in newer devices.
Well, if the API for camera access is open, at least if you need to show the person on the other side something using your camera, you should be able to. That is what I expect. Video chatting isn't only useful for seeing the other side's face.
You can stream out of the back camera if the app allows it (Tango on Android does this), and while I do have uses for that use case I don't know how exactly you're going to "Video Chat" without a FFC, TBQH...
I don't use Skype, though. Their Windows software is just too terrible for me to suffer though. It's in the same category as iTunes now. Need a decent WLM client with VoIP, File Transfer, and Video Chatting support... More people I know use that. No one I know uses Skype. They'll just tell me to text them instead, if I try to get them to install it.
I like how everyone now wants video chat since Apple "reinvented" it with Facetime. I had already had video chat years ago on my Nokia and couldn't care less. Same for many people in Europe I presume.
To the original question: The phones we have now won't be able to do some things, that's just the way it is and it's the same with the iPhone. You can still get a new phone after Mango is released to have full functionality. To announce video calls, they first need to announce new chassis with front facing camera which they haven't done (yet?).
Peew971 said:
I like how everyone now wants video chat since Apple "reinvented" it with Facetime. I had already had video chat years ago on my Nokia and couldn't care less. Same for many people in Europe I presume.
To the original question: The phones we have now won't be able to do some things, that's just the way it is and it's the same with the iPhone. You can still get a new phone after Mango is released to have full functionality. To announce video calls, they first need to announce new chassis with front facing camera which they haven't done (yet?).
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It's a bit to do with Apple and a bit of other factors.
I remember 3G video calling here in the UK it sucked, didn't work very well, was pointless and never took off.
However, with wifi enabled phones and bigger screens its now higher quality, I assume as if you're using a PC. Skype will also allow you to video call people who are sitting at their desks etc.
Peew971 said:
I like how everyone now wants video chat since Apple "reinvented" it with Facetime. I had already had video chat years ago on my Nokia and couldn't care less. Same for many people in Europe I presume.
To the original question: The phones we have now won't be able to do some things, that's just the way it is and it's the same with the iPhone. You can still get a new phone after Mango is released to have full functionality. To announce video calls, they first need to announce new chassis with front facing camera which they haven't done (yet?).
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That's not totally true. Outside of Symbian (not a factor in NA) no other smartphone really had the capabilities. A few rarities, but nothing really big.
What Apple did was a "Me First move." They went first and tested out a capability that had been largely untested in this market and it was a hit.
Also, Desktop video chat software has also gotten better. Services like Yahoo! and Windows Live now support High Definition Video Chatting, and Skype now supports Video Conferencing. There is software like WebEx for Business Users to conference with, as well (we use that at work, there is an Android App for it in the marketplace).
Couple that with the fact that the smartphone market is growing at a nice rate, as well.
As businesses and consumers alike become more and more mobile, and began to drop netbooks/laptops for Smartphones and Tablets, they will ultimately want some of that portability on their devices. One of the most obvious things that smartphones were missing... are webcams i.e. Front-Facing Cameras.
That being said, Skype Video Chat has been proven a ridiculous battery Hog on the iPhone (something like 10% battery for < 30 minutes of video chatting - you're running the camera and streaming tons of data OTA). I think the market needs to focus a bit on battery tech. Hardware in smartphones is good enough that they don't need to be pushing the envelope as much as they are now. They're treating smartphones like their desktop gaming cards or something...
N8ter said:
That's not totally true. Outside of Symbian (not a factor in NA) no other smartphone really had the capabilities. A few rarities, but nothing really big.
What Apple did was a "Me First move." They went first and tested out a capability that had been largely untested in this market and it was a hit.
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Ahh in the US Maybe, but in the UK video calling was everywhere. Infact we have a network that is dedicated to 3G only phones, ALL of which in the beginning were capable of Video Calls. I think only one of them was a Symbian Phone, the N70.
We had plenty handsets in the UK and Europe capable of Video Chat but it never really kicked off. However, from your post I now realise why Apple are plugging it as much as they are, it hasn't been done properly in the US (and now technology is more advanced anyway).
Remember the European/Asian market is bigger than the US one (This is probably the ONLY industry where Europe technically comes first) so it probably didn't kick off originally in the US because manufacturers were seeing their Video Call phones do poorly in the UK/Europe and just didn't bother with the US because of it (Aside from Nokia who arguably, at that time, were big enough to pull it off).
I think Nokia may do it first.
http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...ows-phone-models/&category=classic&postPage=1
Concept, prototype, don't know.
brummiesteven said:
Ahh in the US Maybe, but in the UK video calling was everywhere. Infact we have a network that is dedicated to 3G only phones, ALL of which in the beginning were capable of Video Calls. I think only one of them was a Symbian Phone, the N70.
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When I bought my Sony Ericsson V600 Vodafone gave me another for free, which I gave to my wife... we had a blast on video calls.