Related
I cant afford an XDA2, but have recently been interested in the XDA, but have a few questions...
First of all, I didnt realise it had 4k colours, but how bad is it? I currently have a 65k colour screen SPV E200, so is the difference horrible? Baring in mind I will be watching videos, playing games, and using the internet on it. I know how bad my old Nokia 6100 colour screen was, and it's what's putting me off.
Secondly, I have a few problems with my E200, which if you've read anything about them, you'll know what I mean. I know the XDA is made by HTC aswell, so does it have loads of problems too?
Cheers!
They are nice machines, you can get them off e-bay for about £120 for the 32MB model, and £150 ish for the 64.
I got the 32MB for £120 sometime ago, however, I would recommend going for the 64Mb for a few quid more.
The display is only 4096 colours, but all pic viewers I've used allow dithering which makes the image look very presentable, even DivX players, more would be nicer though.
Battery life is wicked, but I guess that could be down to the faily dim backlight compared to the XDA II, and other PDA's I've used (we have them all at work, iPAQ, Tosh's, Casio's etc.) I've been on holiday for 2 weeks(left XDA @ home) and didn't lose a thing, my iPAQ would have been blanked in that time!
Be careful if you are considering installing WM2003 thats currently knocking around, as you'll get trouble if you plan on using an SD card. Two of us keep getting them erased, plus numerous folks on the net have reported similar findings.
All-in-all the XDA I is a good purchase, but don't pay a bean over £160 for the 64MB one in mint condition with case, headphones and boxes.
Happy Hunting....
Cheers for that spadb.
I'm guessing it'd be a hell of a lot worse to look at than my E200?
I have a E200 as well, checked all the info before it got released and I was like I must have this phone.............now 5 months down the road what a waste of £300, yes it has all the nice toys on it, but with all the problems it is having I wish I had spent the money on the XDA 2, anyway brought me a xda with 32meg (had a little fault on it) so I phoned the XDA center and told them the problem I was having and how much it would cost to get it fixed guess what phone is still under warranty (think all xda's have 2 years) and getting it fixed for free , lets see Orange come up with something like that!
Ah great, someone with an E200 aswell...
Would I struggle to like the XDA with the 4k colours, after using my E200?
Nope, for the 2 days I used it (off for repair at the mo) I had no problems with it, nice large screen,clear sound (oh what joy after the E200) and by far less bugs and crashes, lots more out for the xda (program wise) than for the E200, only problem I faced was trying to work out the Orange settings for the phone, the other downside was short battery life but after the E200's battery problem I can put up with it.
So a video is just as watchable as on the E200? And games are just as good? What about the internet, because I find 65k colours annoying as it is, as it isnt enough, or maybe that's down to the size of the E200's screen?
Cant give much info on using it on the net as I never got round to it, as for vid's and games just as good but on a bigger screen, when mine comes back I can give more info till then can't do much.
not wanting to hijack the thread but to just ask.
I've just bought an XDA I on e-bay. couldn't afford an XDA II either and paid £206 (incl delivery) but this one is 64mb, unlocked, boxed, brand new with a two year warranty so I think I've got a reasonable deal.
the only thing that miffs me a bit is lack of SDIO bluetooth support but it looks like the Jabra BT200 takes care of what I wanted, (handsfree with no poxy cable strangling me)
yeah, I'd say the XDA was the best buy. the only other alternative in the same price class on e-bay is the Jornada 928 which I actually owned for four hours before relisting on e-bay. don't get me wrong, lovely screen, good HP execution of features and the phone implementation was good, but it's a brick, it's bulky, it's chunky and it's dead tech with zilch support from HP so yeah, the XDA is a good buy.
there's good support, plenty of forums on it and spares. so I reckon I made the right choice.
Buy the xda, you will not regret it, if you want a demo of the video download killer bean 2.
In the past, I was always using 128 dpi and never really gave 96dpi a chance.
This morning, I accidentally discovered that my favourite car navigation GPS actually works in 96 dpi, although I had always thought that it only works in 192dpi. The only flaw is that I must use it in portrait mode, as it still does not work in landscape mode.
Like I mentioned in several post, iGO is my most preferred GPS software primarily due to the unbeatable visual beauty, speed, ease of use, and most importantly the ability to warn me if I exceed the road's legal speed limit. That has saves me hundreds in traffic fines and risk of license suspension.
Looks like enough reason for me to move to 96dpi, despite the more challenging font size. In a way I love the amount of real estate I have on my today screen.
I'm now officially a 96dpi convert!
Sorry, I'm just so excited about this. The more I use this device, the more "novelty" I get! I'm getting more excited with Athena the more I use it. Learning new things every day! The best toy I've owned in my life, yet so essential, and I feel I can no longer live my life without it. .
I have to test this, but it's extremely poorly distributed in France, alas. I don't even know if it IS distributed in France, actually... :-S
TomTom was my satnav solution of choice since I've been upgrading the same license for the last 5 years, but I'm getting tired of its many shortcomings... :-S
Good to know it works at this resolution, since it's the reason why the Athena rocks imho.
HeartOfDarkness said:
I have to test this, but it's extremely poorly distributed in France, alas. I don't even know if it IS distributed in France, actually... :-S
TomTom was my satnav solution of choice since I've been upgrading the same license for the last 5 years, but I'm getting tired of its many shortcomings... :-S
Good to know it works at this resolution, since it's the reason why the Athena rocks imho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is speeding fine hefty in France? Do you have some sort of demerit point system where if you exceed the quota in a given period your license is suspeded? Here in Australia, I somehow had managed to attract speeding ticket very often despite trying to be very careful. So I'm very sensitive to this issue. I just had a suspension slapped on me not so long ago. That's why iGO is my preferred GPS. I just let my Copilot's license lapse. I also have Tom Tom which I use less frequently. Tom Tom is okay, except it does not have audio warning for speeding. I understand that one of the versions (which might be on dedicated GPS device) allows users to add and delete roads as well as to enter in the missing speed limit. I don't know if it has audio warning or still only display by color if your exceed speed. Do you know anything about this?
Yes, you can also do that on the Navigator 6 version, either paying a yearly service for radar notification, or for free by adding specifically designed "POI" (Point of interest) including radar positions, that are freely available from websites (as least here in France). But there is no real "warning", so it's not really useful.
In France, we use a separate software called "Vitesse limite" that provides iGo-style warnigs, I guess, but does not have other satnav functionnalities.
Yes, we also have a "point-driver-license", as we call it, here, and stricter and stricter legislation about speeding. And having the satnav solution on the Athena warn me about incoming "boogies" while providing regular satnav functionalities really sounds good, so I guess I'm gonna have to find a way to try it.
HeartOfDarkness said:
Yes, you can also do that on the Navigator 6 version, either paying a yearly service for radar notification, or for free by adding specifically designed "POI" (Point of interest) including radar positions, that are freely available from websites (as least here in France). But there is no real "warning", so it's not really useful.
In France, we use a separate software called "Vitesse limite" that provides iGo-style warnigs, I guess, but does not have other satnav functionnalities.
Yes, we also have a "point-driver-license", as we call it, here, and stricter and stricter legislation about speeding. And having the satnav solution on the Athena warn me about incoming "boogies" while providing regular satnav functionalities really sounds good, so I guess I'm gonna have to find a way to try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The POI fixed speed detection camera is a feature present in almost all GPS software. It is the speed on regular road which is a concern as cops here do surprise us regularly with their mobile radar, which cannot be handled by the POI method.
I think you'll like it after trying it.
eaglesteve said:
In the past, I was always using 128 dpi and never really gave 96dpi a chance.
This morning, I accidentally discovered that my favourite car navigation GPS actually works in 96 dpi, although I had always thought that it only works in 192dpi. The only flaw is that I must use it in portrait mode, as it still does not work in landscape mode.
Like I mentioned in several post, iGO is my most preferred GPS software primarily due to the unbeatable visual beauty, speed, ease of use, and most importantly the ability to warn me if I exceed the road's legal speed limit. That has saves me hundreds in traffic fines and risk of license suspension.
Looks like enough reason for me to move to 96dpi, despite the more challenging font size. In a way I love the amount of real estate I have on my today screen.
I'm now officially a 96dpi convert!
Sorry, I'm just so excited about this. The more I use this device, the more "novelty" I get! I'm getting more excited with Athena the more I use it. Learning new things every day! The best toy I've owned in my life, yet so essential, and I feel I can no longer live my life without it. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you get this to work. I have tried this without success. Could you possibly post a copy of your sys.txt.
By the way, as I understand it, the next Igo woll work perfectly in VGA - about time too!
apd said:
How do you get this to work. I have tried this without success. Could you possibly post a copy of your sys.txt.
By the way, as I understand it, the next Igo woll work perfectly in VGA - about time too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While using the USB mass storage thingy, somehow my device triggered the autorun program in my iGO and did a reinstallation while I was in 96dpi. I think it is the reinstallation while in this mode that fixed it. It was previously installed in 192 dpi. Make sure you're in the portrait mode when you reinstall.
Let me know if this works because I would also like to know why out of a sudden it started working.
Cheers.
eaglesteve said:
While using the USB mass storage thingy, somehow my device triggered the autorun program in my iGO and did a reinstallation while I was in 96dpi. I think it is the reinstallation while in this mode that fixed it. It was previously installed in 192 dpi. Make sure you're in the portrait mode when you reinstall.
Let me know if this works because I would also like to know why out of a sudden it started working.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ta - I'll try that tonight.
Glad you got it working eaglesteve.
In the UK most speeding offenses are caught by cameras but the only time I have been caught (so far) was a video camera in a police car, luckily I had just slowed down so was only doing 94MPH - that was 3 years ago and on fast roads I still drive fast but usually in the UK apart fromn the cameras, they don't seem to worry to much if you're driving safely.
What's the betting I get done for speeding now I've said that!
Got it working without having to re-install !
I can provide info on how to do it, depending on the version (modifications change between iGo, iGo Plus and iGo8).
eaglesteve, do you alos have a kind of "flickering of the screen", also, with parts of line that flicker on the screen here and there ?
HeartOfDarkness said:
Got it working without having to re-install !
I can provide info on how to do it, depending on the version (modifications change between iGo, iGo Plus and iGo8).
eaglesteve, do you alos have a kind of "flickering of the screen", also, with parts of line that flicker on the screen here and there ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I get about four flickeing lines that move upward.
Please share with us what you've learned concerning things needed to happen for it to work?
Well, actually, there's quite a lot of things to do and modify in configuration files. I think the best would be that I provide "ready to work" config. files to insert into the data.zip file for the people who need it.
So if you want your iGo to work @ 96 dpi, simply PM me.
I did it for iGo 2006 Plus and iGo8 (the MioMap version).
HeartOfDarkness said:
Well, actually, there's quite a lot of things to do and modify in configuration files. I think the best would be that I provide "ready to work" config. files to insert into the data.zip file for the people who need it.
So if you want your iGo to work @ 96 dpi, simply PM me.
I did it for iGo 2006 Plus and iGo8 (the MioMap version).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job!
Does yours flicker? Can you get it to also work in landscape mode?
I wonder why mine started working although I did not touch the data.zip file???
WOWEE - you have iGO 8?!! Is it good?
I am really curious on how can I make my iGO work on 128dpi or 96 dpi
tomcat1974 said:
I am really curious on how can I make my iGO work on 128dpi or 96 dpi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won'twork in 128dpi.
For me,it seema that all it takes is to install igo in 96 dpi portrait mode.
after reading this thread I retried using igo2006se with real vga and I can load and use in 96 dpi.
it will load but the buttons dont work in 128 dpi
the trick is to have portrait selected in the settigs for igo before changing the screen resolution
The only setting to work in landscape is 196
cheers
I too love iGo 2006 plus, but on the Advantage, the default screen size shows only a small portion of the map that shows on my Wizard.
Meaning th Wizards default view shows me more streets around me. The Advantage seems to be "zoomed" in on its default screen.
Would this process you are speaking of show more of the map on the Advantages default screen?
sdl said:
I too love iGo 2006 plus, but on the Advantage, the default screen size shows only a small portion of the map that shows on my Wizard.
Meaning th Wizards default view shows me more streets around me. The Advantage seems to be "zoomed" in on its default screen.
Would this process you are speaking of show more of the map on the Advantages default screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should show you as much streets, whether you're on 192 or 96 dpi. The differnce between Athena and the other device is that Athena show it on a larger screen, that's all, if the zooming level, etc are set to be the same. Different device per se should not affect the zooming level, I think.
lakeman said:
after reading this thread I retried using igo2006se with real vga and I can load and use in 96 dpi.
it will load but the buttons dont work in 128 dpi
the trick is to have portrait selected in the settigs for igo before changing the screen resolution
The only setting to work in landscape is 196
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would not work in 128 dpi. Only 192 and 96 dpi would it work.
It's a shame, but I have been visiting this forum for a year or two now and must say - this forum is dead. It's a shame because , looking at new tablet pcs and similar devices entering the market, I think athena still is a good device, offering a lot of possibilities. Unfortunately I know nothing of ROM cooking and all the cooks have left us. Too bad
mietulo said:
It's a shame, but I have been visiting this forum for a year or two now and must say - this forum is dead. It's a shame because , looking at new tablet pcs and similar devices entering the market, I think athena still is a good device, offering a lot of possibilities. Unfortunately I know nothing of ROM cooking and all the cooks have left us. Too bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, this is the way with all devices these days..... I still use my Athena as a backup unit in case I muck up one of my other units....LOL
Later........... B)
I also think the HTCx7500 continues to be a good device. The things that is attractive with the new devices is the advancement of touch screen technology. Cypress true touch technology for example offer not only multi touch but also the ability to do hovering because the screen can sense the finger as soon as the finger is near the screen.
Undeniably Nice to play and might offer conveniences to a certain degree. But unless there is a way to browse the net as fast as a proper laptop or a way to do document processing or powerpoint slides editing 70% as efficiently as a desktop, what the newer device can offer as compared to HTC x7500 is just cosmetics. I can get the same job done with not much of a problem with the Athena as compared to the newer devices.
So, the things that will attract me to newer devices will be
1. Faster internet browsing
2. Document processing / slide editing
3. Looonger battery life
4. Snappiness of the operating system even after installing many programs
5. softwares availability - not specially controlled by a central "market" and all software makers have to pass their work to them and let their work be distributed by one central point where users can download and use free or paid.
Zooming with 2 fingers or 5 fingers is interesting but zooming by just pushing my athena directional buttons up and down isn't such a difficult job either.
Special today's page / Home menus like the ones in Androids or iphones are also not something difficult to reproduce or customized under windows mobile.
Athena still rocks!
Glad I chose to sell mine when I did. It was a device that was ahead of its time. Shame Android never took off on it.
Something different
The prices of these babies have dropped so much that I just bought one recently... after using various newer HTCs, etc, that are all basically the same, this ancient gadget was actually a breath of fresh air. Besides the marginal interior updates, OS versions, and the gradual screen size upgrades, I really can't figure out what's inherently different with almost all smartphones today... although using the athena needs somewhat of a change in mindset (especially of what is a phone), having something different to play with is already a big plus and an actual experience.... please phone makers, lets make the effort of trying to do something different and not just marketing something as different.
I want to browse the internet, do some emailing, write something in my blog, check auction sites, watch youtubes, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - Opera mini, streaming player, etc)
I want to do some word processing, write a novel, edit some documents, and make sure the work can be in sync with my laptop/desktop. Can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - pocketword. document2go, softmaker textmaker, pnotepad)
I want to go through my powerpoint slides and rehearse, re position/re sort the slides, correct a few wordings and make sure i can keep both the slides i have in my desktop and my pocketpc in sync, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - pocket powerpoint, clear vue slides, ...)
I want to enjoy listening to some mp3, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - tcmp player, coreplayer)
I want to watch some movies in avi, wmv, flv, rm, mp4 format, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - tcmp player with the correct codecs)
I want to do some voice recording, can the Athena handle that? (YES - resco audio recorder)
I want to share some photos album with friends sitting together in a restaurant, can the Athena handle that? (YES - resco picture viewer)
I want to connect to internet using 3g/ HSDPDA, because WIFI is unavailable, can the ATHENA handle that? (YES - just make sure 3G services in my data card is active)
I want to transfer file from pc, mobile phone to Anthena or transfer from my athena to my friend's mobile phone without using wires, can the Athena handle that? (YES - bluetooth connections, mocha ftp server, ...)
I wan to play some games, ?? (YES - gba emulator, nes..., playstation 1 emulator, Java, Just games made for pocket pc, etc)
I don't see what the other devices (androids or Ipods) can do that i cannot do with my ATHENA. Yes, I would love it if there is a way to try out putting ANdroids os in my athena but it will be just for fun and to know that there is one more choice of os i can use if i feel like it. Honestly, if there is a 7 inch windows mobile device, I might consider.
One of the MOST important thing that keeps me monitoring the android development is actually BATTERY LIFE (7 hrs with wifi on) and fast zooming.
Many people who try to impress me with android will show me how smooth the screen scrolls here and there with just a flick of the finger. Impressive but when i stop to think over, I realized that i am not going to spend my whole time flicking the screen here and there and just for the thrill to see how the screen can actually change simply by a flick of a finger.
What i will do mostly is click on a program i need to use and start typing or imputing. Scrolling and panning is only useful when i am reading long documents like webpages or ebooks. That is why i like isilo because it allows you to scroll without the need to use the scroll bar.
Fast zooming is another thing that i would like to see on mobile devices. The kind of fast zooming used in opera browsers and netfront browsers are heading in the right direction. FAst zooming is already something that is fast developing even under windows mobile environment.
So, in the end, it comes to a matter of which operating system uses less battery power and will allow longer battery life.
My Athena is going on ebay this weekend because I have one of these now, might be something to look into for the rest of you, as there is an active hacker community too:
http://www.slatedroid.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pandigital_Novel
I only used the Athena as a nightstand emailer/websurfer/weatherchecker, so I have no use for a phone. It worked well enough for that, but the PDN is even better for my needs, and now works with android market. Very cool not to have to activesync to move downloaded cabs to the athena, plus there won't be much activity for winmo anymore since everything is incompatible with wp7 as I understand, while android market is just beginning. Just found a solution that works for my needs, and thought I would share it. Athena was good to me, but it's time for her to move on about her life's work.
Fashion
It does seem a shame that just as big screen devices like this one are coming into fashion this forum has fallen into disuse. It doesn't stop it from still being a very good device, and still very usable in my view. Plus with the amount of ROMS to choose from on this forum there must be one to suit most people. You never know, we may get another cook some time.
regards
Jay
Yes, the Android os is very interesting to look at. If someone created a 7 inch - 10 inch screen tablet with windows mobile 6.1, (or even wm5,6), I would seriously consider but of course the battery life must be good and the processor and ram should have enough power to improve internet experience.
I've used all sorts of devices, from Psion to OQO, Everun, Zaurus, HTC BA etc etc. Recently I bought the Ameo and I can say that after some customisation this little device fits my bill perfectly.
The Ameo has been more flexible (keyboard/Tablet, case, landscape/portrait, 3G/WiFi) than the Archos 5IT it replaced. Sure, Android is nice and iOS is fluid and modern, but the Ameo kills them all with a large 4/3 screen.
I'm using it right now with a Logitech wireless mouse, it's been on all day with a 30% battery drain, browsing with Opera Mobile 10 over 3G.
I wish manufactures would revisit the 4/3 aspect ratio, not everybody wants to watch widescreen films all day, and books look terrible in portrait on thin devices.
Many thanks to the members of these forums for all the tweaks and custom ROMs. this Ameo isn't dead yet.
Last week I bought one of the android tablet made in china. It is called APAD 7 inch styleflying.
The android os has somethings going but I have a number of complains. One of them is why did they do away with "scrollbars." While it is true that Many many people enjoy swiping the screen up and down and feel the screen moving at the command of the finger but it is also true that SCROLLBARS do make sense. Without scrollbars, i believe that many users have experience accidentally opening a program while they were trying to flip the screen up and down. android wants to do things differently I guess but in the process, they took away something very practical and useful. Just my personal opinion. If they want to do something that appears different, they can do what HTC hd2 did. When I look carefully, i realise that in fact, HTC hd2 has a kind of scroll bar on the main screen. It doesn't look like the traditional scrollbar but it does the same job. It allows the user to accurately move from page to page by pushing a slider. And who said programs in Android doesn't crash or hang or stop responding. In my experience, they do.
Anyway, it is a free operating system and it is open source so I hope it will improve in time to come.
Meanwhile, my Athena HTC x7500 rocks! If only I can wake up one morning and find my 5 inch screen Athena grow up and become 7 inch screen! Heh Heh!
5 inch is good size. But i would surely not mind having a 7 inch screen HTC x7500 in my collection.
I am new to the Athena myself by just having bought one for about 200 USD - and it was a great find as it is in perfect shape, looks brand new, no scratches whatsoever!
I sold my Acer F900, as I am through with touchphones, I hate them - it's too bulky and smart for a phone, but too little to do productive work (for me that's office and remote computer administration, mainly). So I decided to scrap the smarthphone, and go back to the roots: buy a small and light cellphone with physical buttons and a PDA.
So I went for the x7500, and I love it! It's 3 years old, and still getting the job done!
My only complaint now is with WiFi: it seems to 'forget' the passwords for APs for some reason...
Btw I use an extra light Taxist WM6.1 ROM (42 Megs), as I have my own proven programs I am using for years, so everything except the OS is unnecessary junk.
it is a shame it is not popular.
I have this device since June. I guess I am getting old, and the little screen of my Polaris was just not fun anymore. The screen of the Athena and the real keyboard were really the 2 attractive points before I touched the beast for real.
So here we go for a search and I found one almost new 5 months ago over the net for 200 Euros.
That's probably the best deal I have done.
I have the device at work and at home, also at customer site. I receive my calls (through Bluetooth), while taking notes or making reports. Even camera pictures are good to fill in reports. WM6.5 works great on this fast device, the only thing I miss is the letter recogniser mode when I have to take notes not seating somewhere. But vocal notes do the trick.
i check my mails both personnals and professionnals, review a presentation in the plane, give free phonecalls to my family while travelling, and finish by a good movie or the news on streaming TV.
It is said to be big, but in fact not bigger than a decent leather covered organizer.
So bad they stopped it...
And so bad there is so few brands believing in this all-in-one concept !!!
does anybody of you have a decent, stable ROM for it?
most of the links here are dead and trying the ROMs i was able to find was a great disappointment...i tried them all, even the Wm 6 ones.
thanks!
KukurikU said:
does anybody of you have a decent, stable ROM for it?
most of the links here are dead and trying the ROMs i was able to find was a great disappointment...i tried them all, even the Wm 6 ones.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For dead links to ROMs, the trick is to Google the exact name and see if some kind soul has uploaded them somewhere - try it, it sometimes works.
I am using AGB 3.0 - to be honest, the device is slow by modern standards, and it not really finger-friendly, it takes quite a tap with a finger to get the thing to respond.
However, yesterday, a young American looked impressively at it as I used it in the train, and asked if it was a phone or a tablet - and what OS it ran. I told him it was old, several years old, and ran WM (albeit a new version). OK, he was disappointed - but that is it, this gadget was way ahead of its time, if they did it again, it would succeed with a few tweaks (modern CPU, faster and better battery).
rjstep3
KukurikU said:
does anybody of you have a decent, stable ROM for it?
most of the links here are dead and trying the ROMs i was able to find was a great disappointment...i tried them all, even the Wm 6 ones.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check Michy's sigs in any of his comments - there is a link to all of his ROMs, he removed it from rapidshare.
I recommend his Clear Edition 6 R1 or something version - I found it quite usable as I wasn't able to revert the WM6.5 start menu, found in the AVG 3 rom, to 6.1.
Nah, not dead, still in daily use by many. My Athena was 3 years old last month and I still haven't found a phone that I might want (the HD2 is close, but I got one for my wife and the screen still just feels too small). Still carry it every day.
Me too! I have tested HD2, tested Androids but the Athena is still amazing!
help making it alive agine....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=849080
Hello there.
I'm a new Archos 101 16GB User having a mixed experience.
I feel that what I've got has huge potential, but just isn't being fulfilled - don't know if anyone else feels that.
I've come straight to tablets from netbooks and an iPhone, and have tried not to have any preconceived notions about how iPad sets the bar for these devices, although it does seem to be the case.
I'm finding, knowing very little about Android, that manufacturers have apparently rushed to force-fit a phone OS in a bigger package, which in respect of certain features makes the A101 seem like a giant (largeprint) smartphone. An example of this is the way in which the small, dainty iPhone-worthy icons for Apps can only be laid out on the 'desktop' panes with massive margins of space between them because the Android system seems to rigidly adhere to strict grid patterns for layout when really what users in this day and age want is user-definable pixel-perfect precise placement of elements. Of course, even iPhone is lacking this configurability.
Anyway, I'm currently trying to overcome my disappointment with the UI and the usability and consistency of desktops across horizontal and vertical orientations (Beautiful Widgets look 'OK' in portrait layout, and fugly in horizontal orientation), indeed the feeling that while what I wanted was the unified visual goodness of a WindowsMobile 7 type platform (or indeed the style brought by both HTC and third party developers (SPB?) to WinMo6, or indeed the carefully tuned visual loveliness of some of the HTC Android skins (Sense?) what I've actually got is a pretty clunky and grumpy Linux build that doesn't play well with its own software applications.
This is only a seventy two hour evaluation so far.
I've been looking at benchmarking, and have been led to Quadrant.
So I've got a batch of results, and I'm wondering if anyone cares to compare results and then compare notes.
I've already wiped and reinstalled the fresh FroYo firmware on the device, and am using gApps4 from these forums. I've populated with some apps and such, and had very unsatisfying attempts to switch from the stock Launcher (LauncherPro and ADW) as well as attempting to find usability in QuickDeskPro, mostly to no avail.
So in this 'stock' but loaded with apps state, Quadrant gives me a result of 780.
Then I've rooted with z4root and run SetCPU to give me 1000mhz on demand, and Quadrant gives me a result of 933.
Since then I've used SetCPU to give me 1000mhz on the 'performance' (non-scaled) setting and I get a result of 974.
With people in various forums talking about Archos Internet Tablet devices running Froyo giving them up to 1200 under Quadrant, I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong or lacking?
The 1200 scores you are talking about came from beta software and not the release software. Something was changed in the release version that brought Quadrant scores back down to those of 2.1. Don't read to much in to Quadrant scores though as they don't really affect real world use.
As for apps, the main issue is screen size and resolution. Many apps were not written with a resolution of 1024X600 in mind. So they don't scale very well. Beautiful Widgets is one of those. Once more developers become tablet aware and as Google increases compatibility with tablets this issue will go away.
The Android home screen is what you make it. There are other launcher, as you mentioned, that can be more customized however, there is no real theming that can be done on the 101 until it is rooted. This is the same for all Android devices unless of course you get a phone from HTC or one of the other OEMs that add their own theme to Android.
I think your main issue is that you know very little about Android and you are expecting it to be as evolved as iOS is even though it hasn't been around as long. New version of Android are coming that will be prettier and more tablet friendly but it will take a little time for it to be perfected.
with another beta beta firmware
the score is 1313
cajl said:
with another beta beta firmware
the score is 1313
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any rumors regarding the release date?
About the same scores here. Topping out around 1000 in quadrant and a bit over 13 in Linpack.
Not sure about your problems installing launcherpro and adw, but I would try one or both again. The stock browser is horrendous in comparison (laggy, takes much longer swipes to see action, etc).
czesiu said:
any rumors regarding the release date?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the A5A last year they gave us one on 14 Dec and another on 24 Dec.
Allen
AllenPapapetrou said:
and another on 24 Dec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crazy Archos devs
no firmware the friday
cajl said:
no firmware the friday
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
________________
I get 820 on a temp-rooted archos 101 8GB with 1GHz set by set cpu.
Appearently the H264-coding takes much too long... my htc desire takes a fraction of a second to pass this test while the archos takes several seconds (20+). I read in another thread that the hardware isn't supported yet by Android-API on the Archos, which will be changed in the future, i presume.
Another glitch: The second 3D-test is much slower than on the Desire (7fps compared to 25), with some errors on the moon (black triangles). Perhaps the OpenGLS-driver is faulty in some way. The first 3D-test, however, shows 3-5 frames more per second than the Desire (clocked at 1152 MHz).
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm sure you all know how comforting, and useful it is to be able to geek out on a forum, compare stories and get tips.
BlazingWolf, I'm certain that you're right. Android is entirely new to me other than a quick fiddle (ooh-err) with a Sammy GTab in a branch of PCWorld with a snotty little elf breathing down my neck to see if he could play games on it.
My big mistake in starting to experiment with this device was that I came at it from an iPhone background, expecting to just load up a device with apps from an app store and watch as it sings, dances and performs tricks for me.
I'm back down to earth with a bump (and not in a bad way) because of the greater openness, some would say 'fragmentation' of the Android platform which creates a scenario similar to that in the PC world where we can have any one of a number of preconfigured devices using specific but sometimes unique chipset combinations, with an array of OS's and software that can be installed on them.
I'm sure one day Android will mature to the place where we begin to see such harmony on the software front end in such a way as the hardware backend becomes irrelevant.
My first 72 hours with the device were bitty. I was expecting these instant results and instant satisfaction, and progress didn't really start to be achieved until I'd wiped the A101 and reinstalled 2.2 from scratch. That's a daunting task, especially to a casual user who might buy this off the shelf. Of course, I'm sure Archos are already looking at that and working to fix it so that the product is good to go from the off.
I'm warming very quickly to the A101. I want to like it. I still have an A504wifi which has only ever been used as a much-loved, if clunky looking and with a sucky interface, portable video player, which has had a great deal of use. So I've been excited about the A101 for a while.
And as a device it is an odd one to classify. The inevitable comparison with the iPad is not necessarily as clear cut as it seems. We have to be utilitarian, sometimes, in looking at these things. The iPad fulfils a multiple of tasks, like the Archos, and it does it within a tightly regulated and strictly defined 'controlled' environment which pushes constantly at 'parity' across all contemporary devices (the OS version for example). This gives us an elegant, reliable but inflexible interface, the trade-off for which is the relative safety of the apps in the app store. The Archos, on the other hand, has a less than elegant interface, is suffering from the issues of platform fragmentation and the remote relationship between the OS developer and the hardware manufacturer, has an App Store full of garbage that doesn't work properly but might get fixed one day, and takes a lot of 'taming' as an all-round package in order to get consistent and satisfying results. That said, the nature of the more open platform affords more opportunities, akind to jailbreaking the iDevices, in successfully customising the device to complete satisfaction, and as already said assuming the OS platform is sufficiently developed to catch up with these new 'tablet' formats, especially the larger screen varieties, we could see something really special and really refined happening.
Where the Archos succeeds, however, is that it is clearly a better platform for at least two of the intended functions of the iPad. We've got a better movie player, capable of working with more formats, with instant HDMI output, and with a proper widescreen display instead of the iPad's nearly 4:3 widescreen letterbox squinty vision. We've also got a better e-reader than the Apple ArmBreaker. OK, the bezel on the iPad is easier to grip single-handed than the Archos's much thinner, but much more elegant design, but this is a device I can sit in an armchair with and actually fall asleep while still holding the thing (I know... it happened). With an iPad, I have to keep shuffling position because the thing is so dang heavy.
The Archos seems to be only a few shades shy of perfect, as far as a hardware platform goes.
Granted, Tegra2 might be fun. And definately the low amount of RAM is an inexplicable and bizarre mistake. Plus we could have done with a 32Gb storage option. Oh, and a more easily viewable screen would be nice.
But as I tweek the thing, and accept the failings of OS and softwares, while anticipating future fixes, I'm really getting to like the little fella. I just need a really nice case to cart it around in, and a decent size memory card so I can store more, and I suspect that if someone can make a permanent root happen, that will pave the way to things like 'Startup Managers' so I can stop some of these apps auto loading when I don't need them to.
A question, though... is there any reason why the MicroSD capacity is listed as being limited to 32GB? Is that an actual capacity ceiling, or is it just the number that was most commonly available or tested at the time? Is the hardware limited to 32Gig or is it Android which is limited? Can the Archos 101 'scale' as MicroSD capacities get larger, or are we literally stuck with 32GB?
I've had no issues with build quality, possibly because I don't expect it to be as solid as an iPad, being a cheaper price and different materials. I've never really had much history of busting my devices with rough treatment or accidents, and even my 'expensive' iPhone 3GS has experienced the not-uncommon 'natural' phenomena of cracks appearing in the back casing around the dock port.
One thing I did notice is that when the A101 first arrived fresh from FedEx the box was freezing cold and so was the device, and when I unpackaged it, the top edge of the device (top of the screen when held in landscape) appeared to be quite significantly convex in shape, arced, not separated from the glass in any way, but definitely bulging. I did a lot of pressing back down on the bulge and letting the device get to room temperature before this 'bulge' became minimal. It is there ever so slightly even now, but doesn't appear to be putting any pressure or distortion on the screen.
Oh, and I think it is just the viewing angle issue, but when I hold the device in portrait to browse long pages or long lists, it almost appears as if the screen itself is convex, and I tend to tilt it back and forth to change the viewing angle on each section of the screen. The screen could definately have been executed better, and I don't think it would have raised the price too significantly.
Any other tips for an A101 n00b would be greatly welcomed.
32GB is atm the maximum you can build a sd to.
The std doesn't give more.
There is a new spec by sony that has more, but it seems not compatible.
I'm not sure if you're interested, but my Samsung Galaxy S used to only do about 900 on the Quadrant benchmark with Android 2.1, it was laggy and slow and really seemed a bit disappointing! Then came Froyo! My oh my, what a difference, unbelievable! It's snappy, touch, and it's there, spin, and it spins, breath, and it feels you! And, it also performs excellently in a Quandrant test now, usually in excess of 1700, even out performs most Nexus One phones I think.
It's absolutely blown me away that a simple software upgrade could entirely change a user experience so much! Battery life has also improved dramatically, at times giving me upto 12 hours or more with general use (regular texting plus photos etc). Which is really great for a 1500mAh battery.
So, I wouldn't give up. Froyo is a really smooth incarnation of Android, and future releases will no doubt get even better. It's exciting seeing what having a company as powerful as Google, backing an opensource project like Android can achieve.
While Microsoft and other companies are focusing purely on developing products from a financial profitability standpoint, Google seems to be able to focus more on simply developing a really excellent product.
I think the biggest 'downside' to Android is that numerous companies overload it with bloatware and don't optomise it enough for their hard ware. There is maybe just a general lack of understanding on the importance of making Android work WITH not against the hardware it's on.
Keep the faith though, have a play around with it and I'm sure eventually things will improve for you, otherwise, if you're really disappointed just go and buy a Samsung Galaxy tab or something similar! Samsung does a really good job, even though they take a looooooong time for updates!
Just ran quadrant, score was 1380. Gapps5 launcher pro plus non root.
2500 with urukdroid build
I have created this thread after asking this question in a different thread. drupad2drupad suggested i create a thread and sticky it. I agree, thought it might be useful to others. Hope its helpful.
I used to always use Windows phones (back in the days of WM6.5), but the draw of android tempted me. Now i am considering a returning to the the land that is Microsoft. The titan looked like a really good bet for me, but i had the following concerns:
Single core: I know microsoft says there is no real need for dual core phones, but a friend of mine has got a sensation XE, and compared to my desire HD, it flies! Even though my desire is clocked at 1.8Ghz the sensation is running stock 1.5Ghz x2. Can WP7 be that different?
512 MB of RAM: This seems pityfull in todays phones, my old HD2 that! Does WP7 have better memory management than android?
No SD Slot: This is just plain criminal, i have a 32 Gig card and its almost full! Adding a slot could not add that much to the price/Bulk of the device.
Screen Resolution: That lovely big screen was a major attractant to me, But 480x800. 640x960 is becoming the norm with screens nearly a inch smaller in size.
Beloved TomTom: This is more of a general WP7 Gripe. I used TomTom with my old WM6.5 devices, it is hands down the best navigation software. I know android has no TomTom but this would get me back to windows handsets in a flash! I use sat nav for 3-4 hours a day at work, mostly in rural places. Nothing matches TomTom for accuracy or re-routing. Come on TomTom, sort it out!
Please don't take any of this as criticism over the phone. I was seriously tempted when the titan came along. Just me venting my thoughts.
Sorry if i hijacked the thread, just seemed like a good opportunity to ask.
So the big question is, to stay with android or run with WP7?
Have you or any other WP7 users got any thoughts on that?
Regards
Your friendly HTC Titan Moderator
Android To Titan?
original_ganjaman said:
Hi there
This might be a good question(s) for you, as you have come from a android device.
I used to always use Windows phones (back in the days of WM6.5), but the draw of android tempted me. Now i am considering a returning to the the land that is Microsoft. The titan looked like a really good bet for me, but i had the following concerns:
Single core: I know microsoft says there is no real need for dual core phones, but a friend of mine has got a sensation XE, and compared to my desire HD, it flies! Even though my desire is clocked at 1.8Ghz the sensation is running stock 1.5Ghz x2. Can WP7 be that different?
512 MB of RAM: This seems pityfull in todays phones, my old HD2 that! Does WP7 have better memory management than android?
No SD Slot: This is just plain criminal, i have a 32 Gig card and its almost full! Adding a slot could not add that much to the price/Bulk of the device.
Screen Resolution: That lovely big screen was a major attractant to me, But 480x800. 640x960 is becoming the norm with screens nearly a inch smaller in size.
Beloved TomTom: This is more of a general WP7 Gripe. I used TomTom with my old WM6.5 devices, it is hands down the best navigation software. I know android has no TomTom but this would get me back to windows handsets in a flash! I use sat nav for 3-4 hoursa day at work, mostly in rural places. Nothing matches TomTom for accuracy or re-routing. Come on TomTom, sort it out!
Please don't take any of this as criticism over the phone. I was seriously tempted when the titan came along. Just me venting my thoughts.
Sorry if i hijacked the thread, just seemed like a good opportunity to ask.
So the big question is, to stay with android or run with WP7?
Have you or any other WP7 users got any thoughts on that?
Regards
Your friendly HTC Titan Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
I am so glad you asked this!
Probably your question and my answers need to be stickied somewhere, because I have been long time user of WinMo 6 and 6.5 and then Android's so called openness tempted me. I gave it a shot too. Ran gingerbread stock ROM with 1Ghz processor, ran Cyanogenmod 7 as well as custom gingerbread ROMs. Over clock to even 1.3 Ghz make that android pant for breath and oh those force closes! I still get those nightmares about things force closing right when you are trying to show off how cool your phone is with all those apps in it!
So I gathered courage (and money) to jump the android ship even after the reviews saying ICS will make it all better for android. Guess what? I don't regret it at all. I am so glad I made that switch.
Windows Phone 7 - is what professionals can design. Android is what open source can give. I just tweeted this morning about an interesting article that said, why Android will stay sluggish compared iOS and WP for rest of it's life until they do something what Microsoft did - it's in their framework.
They need that huge processor and huge dual cores because they got their framework wrong. The way they manage memory is ridiculous now that I have understood the difference between WP and Android. I know this will make my post long, but I think it's best if I summarize that article:
1) The UI rendering in android isnt done by separate dedicated thread in framework like WP7 or 7.5 does. So the priority of rendering UI is same as anything else on the phone = more memory requirement
2) In WP each view is rendered separately and stored in the memory. However in Android the UI is flattened before rendering. So this makes android to redraw the whole screen elements from scratch = more processing power
3) About memory - I think this is very much a personal preference. I don't sync my documents to my phone, I keep them on the SkyDrive most of the time. The only things that take up my memory is my songs, lots of them. But my requirement is nothing compared to yours. Say roughly 250 songs = 1GB, I will need to have 8000 songs that I listen to. Honestly, by the time I finish listening to these 8000 songs even once, I am sure there will be atleast 200 new songs. So I don't bother with music or storage much. 12GB serves me well.
4) Screen Res - If you are using AMOLED on Android, you will miss it for may be 3 days. If you are using LCD - you won't notice much difference in resolution. It would have been nicer to get higher res as you suggested, but for this price - it's much worth it with this UI!
5) TomTom - you've got to try Bing Maps! Come on, if you are on android and already don't have TomTom, I bet you've settled for something else. So if you can settle for something else on Android, why not on WP? And the market apps are being added, I don't think TomTom is much farther.
After such a lengthy post, I think I should add, that I've used exactly same spec and same size phone i.e. HTC Sensation XL on the side with HTC Titan. Sensation XL runs Android, Titan runs WP7.
I can bet anyone £500, without rooting and overclocking Sensation XL - show me that it works and looks as good as Titan! - It doesn't.
Every evening I try to play with Sensation XL, trying to make myself regret buying WP because I don't have so called 'must have apps' - but that counts for nothing as soon as I see live tiles on WP and think of the flawless working.
Hint: I bought both phones 3 weeks ago. I got 8 force closes and 2 reboots on Sensation XL so far. I haven't got single freeze or reboot on Titan. - see how different WP7 is compared to 6.5?
Sorry, I forgot to add - if you are a phone user whose life depends more on apps than flawless UI, integration and speed - Don't switch from Android. WP will need at least 12-15 months to have even half the apps (good or ****e) any other platform has.
original_ganjaman said:
Hi there
This might be a good question(s) for you, as you have come from a android device.
I used to always use Windows phones (back in the days of WM6.5), but the draw of android tempted me. Now i am considering a returning to the the land that is Microsoft. The titan looked like a really good bet for me, but i had the following concerns:
Single core: I know microsoft says there is no real need for dual core phones, but a friend of mine has got a sensation XE, and compared to my desire HD, it flies! Even though my desire is clocked at 1.8Ghz the sensation is running stock 1.5Ghz x2. Can WP7 be that different?
512 MB of RAM: This seems pityfull in todays phones, my old HD2 that! Does WP7 have better memory management than android?
No SD Slot: This is just plain criminal, i have a 32 Gig card and its almost full! Adding a slot could not add that much to the price/Bulk of the device.
Screen Resolution: That lovely big screen was a major attractant to me, But 480x800. 640x960 is becoming the norm with screens nearly a inch smaller in size.
Beloved TomTom: This is more of a general WP7 Gripe. I used TomTom with my old WM6.5 devices, it is hands down the best navigation software. I know android has no TomTom but this would get me back to windows handsets in a flash! I use sat nav for 3-4 hoursa day at work, mostly in rural places. Nothing matches TomTom for accuracy or re-routing. Come on TomTom, sort it out!
Please don't take any of this as criticism over the phone. I was seriously tempted when the titan came along. Just me venting my thoughts.
Sorry if i hijacked the thread, just seemed like a good opportunity to ask.
So the big question is, to stay with android or run with WP7?
Have you or any other WP7 users got any thoughts on that?
Regards
Your friendly HTC Titan Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Single core - My experiences with WP7 have gone back to the beginning and the single core has never been an issue. Even with loading all my email, text message, pics, games, and apps that i use. I'm one to reset my phone (and reformat my PC) just to keep it fresh but I haven't had to do that with the Focus from day 1. I can't say the same for my Captivate which, when I compare it to my Focus being both 1GHz processors, had its slow moments and I've reset that a couple times. WP7 has been more responsive at the same single core speeds. To me this became a non-issue based on experience.
RAM - My experience here is the same as with the single core question. I must say, when they built WP7, they did an excellent job with how it handles memory it would seem. As a programmer and project manager myself, I've seen apps just explode over time (been doing this since the late 80's) because of memory requirements or space requirements. It seems that MS has done a good job keeping the overhead down.
No SD Slot - I agree with you 100% here. As someone who isn't into putting all their stuff on the web I also think an SD slot is called for in all of todays phones. Especially when you reach this stage of feature phone that is supposed to be your one-in-all device. Manage what you have and it will be ok but it might be tedious depending on how often you need to change things up.
Screen Resolution - After handling the Focus, the Titan, and the Vivid on AT&T, I would say that this should be a non-issue for most. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Titan looked on the bigger screen. Side by side, there was no real difference. People might say there is (to a purist techy, yeah) but in using it, there really isn't.
TomTom - There are a couple big names that already have GPS apps for WP7. TomTom will follow shortly I'm sure. Garmin already has theirs as well as others. WP7 is finally getting traction in the real world and companies are starting to get that. I think it was a "wait and see" scenario from a business perspective for most companies but they're starting to realize the market really is bigger than they thought it was going to be.
Hope this helps...
-Cyber
Echo sentiments on memory and cores. I'll add that the best way to manage music is through playlist. I pick albums to sync via playlists on my Focus. Remove an album from the playlist, add a few more, whatever, makes it easier than manually syncing. I also set up auto playlists for recently added and recently favorited music.
GPS, I used the new flavor of Bing Maps and the direction assistance. Pick a destination, it picks the route. The screen goes into a split mode with the upper half a map auto rotating with current direction and the lower half with the next waypoint. Double tap the screen for audio assistance telling you distance, street name and direction. Once you execute the correct turn, the phone confirms you're on the right path with a ding. Just double tap the screen again for the next step spoken to you. Very easy to do while driving with a level of interaction that keeps you on course with out nagging. I loved it.
Single core:
and
512 MB of RAM:
My HD2 runs winmo 6.5 much better than my friend's captivate runs android. Winmo was much leaner and faster (though prone to locking up) and WP7 takes after that, but never locks up. Winmo also uses roughly 150-180MB leaving an excess of memory... my friend is anal retentive about ending processes on android and I don't remember exactly how much, but he always has significantly less memory available than me. WP7 also inherited this good trait. Honestly, the only drawback is I don't think you can play 1080p video with only 1Ghz, but with the wvga resolution that isn't something worth doing anyway.
No SD Slot:
Kind of annoying, but aside from media, my SD card is otherwise entirely filled with cabs and exes and apks... tools not yet available for use on the titan/wp7. The reason there is no SD expansion is because by locking down the file system size they were able to increase performance. If you invest in a larger data plan and the zune market / get the zune music pass, media storage isn't really a concern. You could even set up a home server and just stream your music, or set up playlists on youtube and get the metrotube app, which can load youtube playlists and it still plays the audio from videos while the phone is off (think: music from youtube).
Screen Resolution:
Since there is no HDMI out, resolution is a non issue. WVGA is fine, there is no stretching or pixelation, you'd never even know it was wvga from looking. This saves space as well, as you don't need to waste space with HD videos; if you properly convert all your videos, you save a lot of space and lose no quality.
Beloved TomTom: Garmin has an app, there are other apps, and there are apps to come. Bing works fine. I really don't see the difference between tomtom / garmin or other major brands: they both work fine and those who like one over the other are generally nit picking extremely irrelevant features, or had one bad experience with one and now unfairly judge it as nonfunctional.
WP7 is a new OS, and for a new OS it's doing very well. Android SUCKED when it first came out, but has grown quite well. WP7 will do the same, in both updates and through here, with the hacking / dev community. The base for WP7 is still windows CE, and technically it can support winmo 6 stuff, technically we can do everything we used to on our old winmo phones... when someone hacks that ability in
Here's hoping we can still dual boot with android in some years
original_ganjaman said:
Your friendly HTC Titan Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am I misreading this, or is the moderator of the Titan forum not a Titan owner, not even a Windows Phone user?
Wow. That explains so much.
YES you should make the jump! Love my Titan...not sure Android will ever be as smooth and efficient as WP, no matter how much processor and RAM you throw at it.
This device’s brilliance isn’t limited to the hardware either. Windows Phone Mango is really, really good. Nearly nothing about Microsoft’s OS works anything like iOS, while still feeling very fresh and accessible. It’s exactly the opposite of the way that Android normally feels, which is an uglier and slower version of iOS.
Speed is one of the biggest pitfalls that befall Apple’s rival operating systems. Time after time, touch is proven the biggest reason that iOS feels better to use.
At first, people blamed it on specs, or types of touchscreen. But now that phones are all coming with dual-core processors saddled with blazing GPU’s powering mutitouch tech that is potentially just as good as what Apple is running, it’s a different story.
There is simply no excuse for any mobile device not to scroll, zoom and navigate smoothly any more. Period.
It’s crazy to me how many Android devices still fail this simple test, dramatically. The Lumia 800 is a different beast. With a 1.4GHz CPU, underpowered by most modern standards, the scrolling and zooming experience is absolutely flawless.
Menus scroll and flow with well-timed inertia, pinch-to-zoom is brilliant in the browser as well as in apps like Bing Maps. It really is a first class interaction experience that is matched only by the iPhone in terms of smoothness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From http://www.thenextweb.com/microsoft...device-that-would-make-me-give-up-the-iphone/
drokkon said:
Am I misreading this, or is the moderator of the Titan forum not a Titan owner, not even a Windows Phone user?
Wow. That explains so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have not misread, i am not a Titan owner let alone a WP7 user. I have gone through a few OS's now, Theming and developing for them. As of yet i have not tried WP7 (but that might well change)
As of the second comment, it is not helpful. If there is anything i have done that you are not happy with, please feel free to point it out. I try my best to keep everything nice a tidy and keep everyone happy, the great users here in the Titan forum help me out, which i am most grateful for. I do put my time into this free of charge, Its all for the love of this great forum.
Anyway, i am here to moderate not to help with the device itself.
For most of thing i have seen, i think you should have bought the Sensation XL. It is Titan in Android, have almost everything you listed.
But personally, when i chose Windows Phone 7 for another 2 years, i have already kept the idea of no other mobile-based OS. Everyphone got its own optimized hardware for the OS it uses. I would prefer my Titan has the Metro UI instead of a custom build HTC Sense 3.0 .
original_ganjaman said:
You have not misread, i am not a Titan owner let alone a WP7 user. I have gone through a few OS's now, Theming and developing for them. As of yet i have not tried WP7 (but that might well change)
As of the second comment, it is not helpful. If there is anything i have done that you are not happy with, please feel free to point it out. I try my best to keep everything nice a tidy and keep everyone happy, the great users here in the Titan forum help me out, which i am most grateful for. I do put my time into this free of charge, Its all for the love of this great forum.
Anyway, i am here to moderate not to help with the device itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give WP7 a try. It might surprise you. I enjoyed flashing ROMs, testing versions of Sense, battery life issues, glitches, incomplete features, app launching, instability, ...wait... no I didn't.
WP7 is the only OS on the market. The others are app launchers with afterthought to social networking and notifications. Metro UI is clean and efficient while still delivering plenty of info with out launching an app.
I used to moderate message boards back when I was an editor and reviewer for a tech site. It isn't easy, so much respect.
HalcYoN-Fuze said:
Give WP7 a try. It might surprise you. I enjoyed flashing ROMs, testing versions of Sense, battery life issues, glitches, incomplete features, app launching, instability, ...wait... no I didn't.
WP7 is the only OS on the market. The others are app launchers with afterthought to social networking and notifications. Metro UI is clean and efficient while still delivering plenty of info with out launching an app.
I used to moderate message boards back when I was an editor and reviewer for a tech site. It isn't easy, so much respect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am most tempted by WP7. Just waiting for my ideal phone. Thought it might be the titan, but the lack of a SD slot is a real issue for me. But i am sure the twelve gig you get is fine for a lot of users.
Thanks for the support. It is much appreciated.
Peace!
original_ganjaman said:
You have not misread, i am not a Titan owner let alone a WP7 user. I have gone through a few OS's now, Theming and developing for them. As of yet i have not tried WP7 (but that might well change)
As of the second comment, it is not helpful. If there is anything i have done that you are not happy with, please feel free to point it out. I try my best to keep everything nice a tidy and keep everyone happy, the great users here in the Titan forum help me out, which i am most grateful for. I do put my time into this free of charge, Its all for the love of this great forum.
Anyway, i am here to moderate not to help with the device itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're totally right. I didn't mean any offense - you're doing a bang-up job, and this Titan forum is great.
I confused this forum with the generic WP7 forums, in which EVERY thread devolves into a WP7 vs. Android debate. It's tiresome to the point of being entirely counter-productive.
As a moderator, do you think you could talk to the "powers that be" and request a few things?
First off, not all of the WP7 devices, 2nd gen specifically, have their own forums yet, even thought they've been on the market for a while now. Focus Flash and Focus S users are left to post in the 1st gen/original Focus forum. Here's a list of WP7 devices.
Also, the drop down at the top of every forum screen that says "Devices by OS or Manufacturer" only has Android and "Windows Mobile" listed as OSes. If you click on the latter, the Windows Phone devices appear at the very bottom of a tediously long list of old WinMo handsets. It would be more efficient (and more CORRECT) if the "Windows Phone" OS were split from the "Windows Mobile" OS.
Sorry to hijack your thread, and my apologies once again for my counterproductive comment. I don't have much experience with Android, but my thoughts on the Titan specifically may be found here.
I switched from HTC Desire to Titan yesterday. So far so good Everything looks and feels nice and fancy
original_ganjaman said:
I have created this thread after asking this question in a different thread. drupad2drupad suggested i create a thread and sticky it. I agree, thought it might be useful to others. Hope its helpful.
I used to always use Windows phones (back in the days of WM6.5), but the draw of android tempted me. Now i am considering a returning to the the land that is Microsoft. The titan looked like a really good bet for me, but i had the following concerns:
Single core: I know microsoft says there is no real need for dual core phones, but a friend of mine has got a sensation XE, and compared to my desire HD, it flies! Even though my desire is clocked at 1.8Ghz the sensation is running stock 1.5Ghz x2. Can WP7 be that different?
512 MB of RAM: This seems pityfull in todays phones, my old HD2 that! Does WP7 have better memory management than android?
No SD Slot: This is just plain criminal, i have a 32 Gig card and its almost full! Adding a slot could not add that much to the price/Bulk of the device.
Screen Resolution: That lovely big screen was a major attractant to me, But 480x800. 640x960 is becoming the norm with screens nearly a inch smaller in size.
Beloved TomTom: This is more of a general WP7 Gripe. I used TomTom with my old WM6.5 devices, it is hands down the best navigation software. I know android has no TomTom but this would get me back to windows handsets in a flash! I use sat nav for 3-4 hours a day at work, mostly in rural places. Nothing matches TomTom for accuracy or re-routing. Come on TomTom, sort it out!
Please don't take any of this as criticism over the phone. I was seriously tempted when the titan came along. Just me venting my thoughts.
Sorry if i hijacked the thread, just seemed like a good opportunity to ask.
So the big question is, to stay with android or run with WP7?
Have you or any other WP7 users got any thoughts on that?
Regards
Your friendly HTC Titan Moderator
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Click to collapse
1) and 2)
HTC Titan is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast !! ^_____^
I understand what you are saying. I had doubts too ...
1.5 Ghz and 512Mb of Ram grants on titan the faster smartphone I experienced so far.
3) Here you have a point. I would have appreciated an SD slot too. I didn't see any Windows Phone 7 with SD card so far. Could this be a way to fight piracy ? (to force people using zune to trasfer files? really dunno).
4) Trust me, the screen is amazing, you won't argue about resolution or anything else every time I turn up my Titan all that I think is "WoW!!"
5) There are several alternatives to Tom Tom. Some are free, some are not, some are 'hidden' ... I hear strange voices in the wind whispering " ... use nokia drive ... "
Microsoft of nowdays keeps on giving us high quality products ...
So : YES, buy a Titan over any Android and enjoy the experience
dragonide said:
1) and 2)
HTC Titan is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast !! ^_____^
I understand what you are saying. I had doubts too ...
1.5 Ghz and 512Mb of Ram grants on titan the faster smartphone I experienced so far.
3) Here you have a point. I would have appreciated an SD slot too. I didn't see any Windows Phone 7 with SD card so far. Could this be a way to fight piracy ? (to force people using zune to trasfer files? really dunno).
4) Trust me, the screen is amazing, you won't argue about resolution or anything else every time I turn up my Titan all that I think is "WoW!!"
5) There are several alternatives to Tom Tom. Some are free, some are not, some are 'hidden' ... I hear strange voices in the wind whispering " ... use nokia drive ... "
Microsoft of nowdays keeps on giving us high quality products ...
So : YES, buy a Titan over any Android and enjoy the experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a Samsung focus. You could add a MicroSD to it. We were effectively able to upgrade both of our Samsung Focus' with a 32gb MicroSD card. The phones had 40gb of memory. Very nice. Be warned though, that when you try to remove the card and reset the phone, the MicroSD card is locked and cannot be used by anything else, EXCEPT your Windows phone. Yes, it locks the MicroSD card so that it cannot be read by any other device.
drokkon said:
You're totally right. I didn't mean any offense - you're doing a bang-up job, and this Titan forum is great.
I confused this forum with the generic WP7 forums, in which EVERY thread devolves into a WP7 vs. Android debate. It's tiresome to the point of being entirely counter-productive.
As a moderator, do you think you could talk to the "powers that be" and request a few things?
First off, not all of the WP7 devices, 2nd gen specifically, have their own forums yet, even thought they've been on the market for a while now. Focus Flash and Focus S users are left to post in the 1st gen/original Focus forum. Here's a list of WP7 devices.
Also, the drop down at the top of every forum screen that says "Devices by OS or Manufacturer" only has Android and "Windows Mobile" listed as OSes. If you click on the latter, the Windows Phone devices appear at the very bottom of a tediously long list of old WinMo handsets. It would be more efficient (and more CORRECT) if the "Windows Phone" OS were split from the "Windows Mobile" OS.
Sorry to hijack your thread, and my apologies once again for my counterproductive comment. I don't have much experience with Android, but my thoughts on the Titan specifically may be found here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly apology accepted, no hard feelings and thanks for the positive feedback
On the first part of your question, i do agree with you the forums are not up when the phones are available. I have had many problems in other forums because of this (Focus S being one of them). But with the sheer number of devices that get released at one time, its hard to keep up and know which ones will be popular. There is a thread somewhere explaining it, but i cant remember where i read it now, sorry!
The second point is a difficult one, i do tend to agree with you. But what about the other builds of android? They could be thought of as different OS, So we get a Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich (not counting the ones before that) So the OS list might get a little complicated. And before you shoot me down saying there not different OS's. Other Android users might totally disagree. Its all a balance of keeping everybody Happy. As i said i personally agree with you, but not so sure others would.
What i will do is post your comment in the MOD section. See what sort of comeback i get and let you know.
Thanks for your feedback and if you have any more questions/issues, please feel free to ask i will do my best to sort them.
Glad you are enjoying the HTC Titan Forum
PEACE!!
rvbarton said:
I used a Samsung focus. You could add a MicroSD to it. We were effectively able to upgrade both of our Samsung Focus' with a 32gb MicroSD card. The phones had 40gb of memory. Very nice. Be warned though, that when you try to remove the card and reset the phone, the MicroSD card is locked and cannot be used by anything else, EXCEPT your Windows phone. Yes, it locks the MicroSD card so that it cannot be read by any other device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read about the locked SD card. Sounds like locking you down to zune is what microsoft wants. Not a massive issue, i would assume its still easy to use zune to transfer your music/video?
original_ganjaman said:
I did read about the locked SD card. Sounds like locking you down to zune is what microsoft wants. Not a massive issue, i would assume its still easy to use zune to transfer your music/video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
transferring through zune is very easy and i love the interface, i wish it would be faster though...
there are solutions for unlocking the sd card. the most common one is to format it using a nokia symbian phone. there is also an app made by xbmod which unlocks the sd card but i don't know if it works on any device. i used it on my htc hd2 running yukixda & xbmod's "back to the future" wp7 rom.
however, unlocking the card won't give the ability to transfer usable files to the phone. the wp7 partition has a special format type which cannot be read (yet). unlocking the sd card is necessary if you want to:
- partition your sd card and use part of it as removable storage space. again, this was made possible by xbmod on the hd2.
or
- replace it with another one and transfer the wp7 partition to the new card. also, you will be able to delete the wp7 partition from the old card and format it to be usable again on another device.
Ok so I should be getting my Titan by the End of Next Week and am curious about the Navigation on the phone. With my Android phone all I have to do is cache some of the maps zones using google maps than I can turn off data completely and just have the GPS chip work it's magic. So I guess the question is does the built in maps do this on WP7 and is there a way to completely turn off Data and only have Wi-Fi running so I don't run into overages as I cannot afford a higher tiered plan than the 200mb one. If not I will most likely wind up selling the phone or returning it as I cannot have my Data running my bill through the roof.
try turn by turn nav. You can cache your route at home over WiFi before you set off