I think there is a HUGE audience of people righ tnow who have the 6800 model phone (Titan) who want to upgrade to the Raphael/Touch Pro, but feel the price right now just isn't worth it, with the cheapest new Raphael listing at $480! Ouch!
So, I am hoping that people who previously owned the HTC Titan/6800, can shed some light about what is so much better about the Raphael. Both have a flip out keyboard, both can take SD cards upwards of 8gb, both can do GPS, data/text/video/pics, etc...
I welcome all input from all Raphael owners, but I am really interested in those that used to own the Titan, an dnow use the Raphael.
THANKS!! I think this will help bridge the gap between Titan users still holding out, or perhaps convince them to stick with the Titan, we will see.
===
I posted this here instead of the Titan forum because most Raphael users don't visit the Titan forums anymore, so I figured I would get more responses here. Once the thread is well-established, I will post a link in the Titan forums to read what everyone wrote
It's way better than the Mogul, in my opinion. The only thing lacking is the multiple hard buttons like on the Mogul, but I'm gradually getting used to it. The keyboard keys are a little smaller and are taking some re-training, but I like the 5 rows better than 4.
Otherwise...
The abundance of RAM on the Touch Pro makes this device superior in almost every way possible.
The screen is amazing.
Build quality is better, and the keyboard feels more solid than the Mogul's when sliding out.
Voice quality is so-so... not better than the Mogul but not worse.
The speed of the user interface is great.
I sold my Mogul well over 8 months ago because I was so sick of the issues of it..
The biggest issue I had was the memory leak issue... The phone would slow to a crawl...
I went out and purchased the Touch Pro last week...
The difference is night and day between the two phones..
yes the touch pro is still slow at times but it doesnt require a reset to fix the issue and i havent experienced ANY memory leak issues yet.
The camera is amazing for a cell phone
It looks amazing...
The only think i liked better on the mogul was the speaker.. mine sounds tinney and has no clarity whatsoever.
I loved my 6800 but I was rebooting constantly to keep it running. I rarely reboot with my touch pro. The RAM upgrade is the biggest reason I love it. The VGA screen is the other. The Touch Pro is everything I wished my mogul was. The G-Sensor is great too. No more manually flipping the screen or popping the keyboard out.... I wish it had more buttons to map things too like the mogul, but it's minor.
i'm still using my titan (only with wifi), and i love it. for what i do with both of the phones, i think the battery lasts slightly longer on my titan than my touch pro. other than that, the touch pro is amazing and beautiful. the titan is more utilitarian and all business. the touch pro, i love because i can leave all sorts of programs running in the background and still have something like 35%-45% free ram. i bought my phone at best buy with the final price being around two hundred dollars. they told me that their insurance policy was better than sprint's, but i still have the $7 TEP. i do miss the titan's jog wheel, start and ok buttons, the wifi switch, the five-way joy-stick thing (i still press the talk or end button sometimes using my touch pro), and the size of the buttons on the hardware keyboard (the touch pro's are very slightly smaller because there are a greater number of keys).
Pros:
-Much better keyboard
-Phone is more appealing to the eye
-the system RAM is a big improvement!
-the screen is simply amazing
Cons:
-Straight out of the box, the phone is SLOWER than my No2Chem rommed Titan. I don't blame the hardware, I blame TF3D and the ROM. I took TF off immediately and saw a big improvement, done all the speed tweaks and it is better, but I still think the Sprint stock ROM makes it very slow and inefficient.
-Keep your 6800 charger if you can help it, the cord on the new charger is very short
-lack of buttons
At the end of the day; I miss my Mogul a lot but I like this phone too. I guess I am still on the fence to which I like better
I had the 6700 and when i got the 6800, i could not put the thing down. Then i got the tp-6850, and i have to say i would never ever go back. This phone just seems to flow, all the others had so much lag. Yeah i know they were older, but this one just seems to have caught up to being able to run the programs with minimal lag. Of course the day will come that the tp will join the 6700 and 6800 in being a thing of the past.
hooges said:
Pros:
-Much better keyboard
-Phone is more appealing to the eye
-the system RAM is a big improvement!
-the screen is simply amazing
Cons:
-Straight out of the box, the phone is SLOWER than my No2Chem rommed Titan. I don't blame the hardware, I blame TF3D and the ROM. I took TF off immediately and saw a big improvement, done all the speed tweaks and it is better, but I still think the Sprint stock ROM makes it very slow and inefficient.
-Keep your 6800 charger if you can help it, the cord on the new charger is very short
-lack of buttons
At the end of the day; I miss my Mogul a lot but I like this phone too. I guess I am still on the fence to which I like better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually thought the phone was quite functional and eye pleasing strait out of the box. I think they got a fairly good handle on the stock ROM. Still not my cup of tea, as I like flashing custom. But imagine the average joe user that just uses the phone......I don't know how mogul users were ever happy with that phone strait out of the box? It was terrible. My TP out of the box wasn't choppy slow, just a lot of minor annoyances. Like tacking on sprint to music tab and what not...
Design of the TP is pretty good. I REALLY miss the scroll wheel like other said. This is taking some serious getting used to. But the strait sexyness of the phone more than makes up for it, not to mention the added hardware.
This phone has great potential....looking forward to messing with it.
Although it's not fair to compare my stock Titan to a modified rom Touch Pro, I am getting twice the battery life (2 days) with good usage on my TP after running Y4G rom. I'm so glad I upgraded.
I agree with what most other are saying about the extra memory and better screen alone make the TP better.
The G sensor on the TP is very cool.
I never used the jog wheel on my Mogul, so nothing to miss there.
I've never modified the ROMs in any of my phones with the exception of installing updates from Sprint (I had my Mogul running the latest Sprint ROM with WM6.1 and it worked great) That being said, I think the TP is awsome right out of the box.
I really like the TF3d interface as I have big fingers and had a lot of trouble trying to touch the Mogul screen (I always had to use the stylus) I can use my fingers on the TP with no problem.
The KB is much better because the numbers have their own row, just like a normal KB.
And last (but not least) I just love the way it looks, it makes the Mogul look cheap.
Ok, GREAT responses, everyone thank you.
So here's a recap...
PRO's
- improved RAM
- no need to reboot often (doesn't slow down as much)
- screen and camera resolutions
- look and feel
CONS:
- less programmable hard-buttons
- smaller keys on keyboard
- no scroll wheel
- current price (lowest brand new price is around $450 USD - ouch!)
- speaker volume/power
The big CON for me is the no scroll wheel. I use that ALL the time when I am typig with it in landscape mode. You can even click with the scroll wheel (most people dont know that), and it makes menus and websites a breeze...you can just scroll down to the next box like on forms/fields and even click buttons like submit just by pressing the wheel down.
The big PRO for me however would be the RAM improvement and not having to reboot as often.
I think the G-sensor (motion sensor) inside would be useless to me. The ONLY time I turn my current 6800 sideways is when I am typing, and since opening the keyboard makes it flip anyway, g-sensor wouldn't help me. I also care more about functionality than "looks" so that PRO of it being sleeker and all would not matter to me since I use mine for GPS, Instant Messaging, and Email, so looks dont matter.
Two unanswered questions:
What about GPS performance? Is it a NMEA chip, or a MTK/Sirf III chipset? (NMEA relies on your number of reception bars, like the 6800, and has a longer cold-lock time. The other two chipsets will work without cell-reception, and are what is indie REAL stand-alone GPS units)
Also, does it come witrh a RevA ROM? Meaning you can use data and voice simultanously? Right now, if I have my instant messenger running, it signs off when a call comes in, then signs back on when I hang up...I hate that.
I guess the GPS question is my biggest concern since right now I can run TomTom 7 on my 6800, and get free GPS (dont have to pay for a 3rd party program like VZ Naigator), but all 6800's are NMEA (not a real GPS chipset), so what is inside the TouchPro?
Thanks!!
here's the problem: the purported XV6850 or Verizon's TP may be entirely different. The keyboard is a concern with only 10 columns of keys vs 12 on Sprint. So the keys may be bigger, and you still get a number row but the layout is horrible!!!! There's an up arrow in between N and M there's an enter key in the very right bottom corner and a sym key above that. the period is on the left of the space bar! It's a disaster! It also has less ram than Sprints (64MB-92MB less, but possibly more for graphics)
Now these are rumors, but the pictures appear real and are inline with the FCC. Also where's reset hole on the Sprint TP? It appears to be UNDER the battery cover according to the FCC....ouch! I use that button a lot!
Cycomachead said:
here's the problem: the purported XV6850 or Verizon's TP may be entirely different. The keyboard is a concern with only 10 columns of keys vs 12 on Sprint. So the keys may be bigger, and you still get a number row but the layout is horrible!!!! There's an up arrow in between N and M there's an enter key in the very right bottom corner and a sym key above that. the period is on the left of the space bar! It's a disaster! It also has less ram than Sprints (64MB-92MB less, but possibly more for graphics)
Now these are rumors, but the pictures appear real and are inline with the FCC. Also where's reset hole on the Sprint TP? It appears to be UNDER the battery cover according to the FCC....ouch! I use that button a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reset hole is definitely not under the battery cover. It's right next to the micro USB port, just like the Mogul. The Diamond is the one with the reset hole under the battery cover.
Does the Pro Come With Holder for the MiniSD Card?
I bought a Pro in-store. When I checked everything at home, I saw the plastic case for the miniSD card and cardholder. The miniSD card was already inserted in the phone, but there was no cardholder. Does anyone know if the Sprint supplies one in the box? I called Sprint and spoke to tech and sales. Also called the number they gave me to HTC. Neither could give me a clear answer.
I bought the Pro because of the TouchFlo. I don't drive, and I take public transit a lot. I'm often carrying grocery or other bags or holding on the rails on the bus. The Flo capability and the smaller size of the Pro makes one-hand web use, page scrolling, and other functions easier for me. I found it annoyingly hard to use the scroll wheel, stylus, and hard buttons on the Mogul in those instances.
The soft wheel on the Pro provides great 4-way direction, and I like the circle-and-zoom capability. Again, using one hand, I can increase the size of the screen and easily hit the button or link I need.
I am a fan of the new keyboard. It is made out of a harder and more tactile material. I have more confidence in knowing that I'm hitting the right key. Glad they moved the numbers to their own row. Also, the on-screen keyboard is larger. I have few problems hitting the right keys with my fingertips.
The camera is more complicated than on the Mogul. There are sub menus to access to change basic things like resolution. There are fewer zoom options. Although there are a lot more customization options on the Pro, I like the Mogul's camera/video interface design better.
some poetic license please
I realize I am not really supposed to reply to this because I don't have a TP yet, it arrives Tuesday from Alltel for me. I do have a 6800 that replaced a 6700 and run stock ROM's generally with a lot of registry hacks and software enhancements from XDA usually. I am upgrading for two reasons, one I travel a lot, in fact at times I live in hotels more than at home and I hate carrying a heavy notebook that takes forever to boot up and drags like crazy when I VPN to our enterprize software apps back at the plant. So I use a Redfly with my 6800 and it is amazingly good for email, and for remote control of my pc back in my office for those enterprise apps.
But with only 64 meg of RAM the 6800 is down to about 10 meg after the Redfly comes online so forget about Opera, or PIE. The only browser you can use well is a server based one like Opera Mini or maybe Skyfire someday if they fix the Redfly issue they have. I think the increased RAM in the TP will let me use any Redfly compatible browser including the slightly older Opera (not what comes on the TP) or PIE. That's big for me since I need to surf on the road. So I think you can't minimize the value of more RAM for a Redfly user, though I realize there aren't very many of us. Also any increase in speed is a big deal when you are using your phone as your only travel PC. I expect I will turn off TF3D since it appears to slow the phone down but I will try it first in case it isn't a hassle. The Redfly drivers turn it off anyway when you connect since it is incompatible. Cuz
gsvnet said:
The reset hole is definitely not under the battery cover. It's right next to the micro USB port, just like the Mogul. The Diamond is the one with the reset hole under the battery cover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought but the Verizon version is really different. It has recently appeared on HTC's site.
http://www.htc.com/us/product.aspx?id=76994
That nearly confirms almost everything I have said. You may need to use magnification of some sort but look at that keyboard layout.
Related
Ok, I have ploughed through a load of HTC phones recently. I will admit upfront that I always like coming back to real numeric and alpha-keyboard phones for my daily phones. I was a big fan of the S710 and S620, actually my favourite HTC phones. The original HTC touch was the most enjoyable touch phone. Recently I have had the diamond, touch 3G, Tytn and loads of both HTC and other makes including the iphone. I have never been comfortable with on-screen numeric pads and keyboards. the screens need constant cleaning, there is no feedback, I am constantly worried about damaging the screen (well done apple for having a glass screen!) and its just a pain when entering numeric digits over the phone.
I will say upfront that I think the S740 is the hidden gem in the range. The design fits beautifully in the hand and the construction is top notch. It looks very stylish and the sliding keyboard doesn't wobble at all in any position. I have never had that before on a slider. The weight is just right and lends a really quality feel. The screen is excellent, the phone is fast with bags of features and a powerful cpu and good memory.
Its great coming back to keystrokes to go places rather then touch, its just so damn fast. Plenty of applications are written for smartphones and loads of free ones out there make things fun.
The UK orange version, when using the HTC home screen, has no really customisations to make one annoyed, except the orange page bookmark! Unlocking can be had for around £16.22 on the net.
Pity no hardSPL, but quite frankly I have noticed no bugs so far and its just so fast.
One of my best buys so far!
My only complaints:
-Phone is slightly heavy and long. Weighing at 140g.
Could be due to the underlying qwerty keyboard and big numeric keypads.
-Send and end buttons were too small. Could be bigger.
-Fingerprint magnet, easily scratched keypads and softkeys.
And if you've noticed, it's the only WM smartphone out there having a 256 RAM/ROM.
Only real issue I have with mine is that I'm 100% sure I haven't spilt anything on it as it's always in its slip case, but the numeric keypad on the front seems to make a kind of noise which suggests it's sticky or dirt has got behind the keys. Makes kind of scratchy noise which is a bit rubbish.
Anyone else find this?
What are my eyes seeing? An S740 post? Wow...
I love the phone, it feels great in my hand and it's also really fast.
joebi I think you've got dirt under it, I have no problem with the keys. Been using it quite a lot since I bought it in February.
Any rumors?
I don't think so, this phone IMO is under rated, it seems like HTC is focusing on Touch Andriods for the time being.
I would like to see the Touch Pro 2's keyboard in a smaller package
Hm... In this case Rose seems to be the last of its kind in HTC's actual lineup. Which is pity IMHO...
I don't know if it'll be the last of it's kind (it's unlikely we'll know exactly what they're planning) but I'm not sure a successor will be along very soon - there just isn't very much more to put into phones nowadays - all you can do is increase megapixel counts and put a different OS on.
IMHO the Rose is an excellent phone and still by today's standards very much a competitor to the vast majority of smartphones - it's extremely underrated for what it is, and because only Orange have picked it up (but don't really try and sell it) nobody has really heard of it...
It is absolutely excellent though, I would put it on top of the iPhone for my needs and certainly most Android and Symbian devices - the E71 I bought only lasted 5 months before I went completely mad at it not doing things how I liked, and in most cases not doing them at all, and I always seem to find myself going back to Windows Mobile no matter what else I try...
andrewkeith5 said:
there just isn't very much more to put into phones nowadays - all you can do is increase megapixel counts and put a different OS on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So true!
Personally I like to use my phone with one hand while on the go, so no E71, HTC Snap, Blackberry or other QWERTY-only devices for me. Also, I've used touchscreen devices since the Magician came out, and I'm starting to miss the feel of physically clicking a button and the haptic feedback.
So the S740 is just the best of both worlds - light in the pocket, easy one-hand operation on the go, beautiful QWERTY keyboard for longer text input, and much much power under the hood.
Can't think of really new technology to add to that atm!
N.
Well I said when I had the time I would write a review comparing the HTC Touch HD and Toshiba TG01. I got the TG01 as an insurance replacement for the HD, so was not a purchasing choice, but I liked the sound of the spec and agreed to the swap (they had no HDs in stock!). Sorry the review's not exactly comprehensive and is a bit all over the place, but is an immediate reaction having owned the TG01 for a couple of weeks and just a list of things which spring to mind!
The Toshiba is big. If you're used to bigger smartphones (Which I was with the HD) then it will still feel big. It's not thick though, it's decidedly thinner than the HD (slim enough to slip through the gaps in my decking it seems... but I caught it in time!), and does slip into an average trouser pocket without poking too much from the top. However, its sheer size makes it hard to use with one hand. The screen is a great size though, and is lovely and clear. It has a built in light sensor also to help with battery life so you may think the screen's a bit dull to start with - go outside and try again or switch the option off and you'll see how vibrant it is.
The hard buttons are laid out slightly differently and aren't too bad - with the HD I did suffer from turning on the phone by accident in my pocket quite often as that button is located on the top of the phone. On the Toshiba, it's on the side and it hasn't activated itself yet. The HD had touch sensitive buttons (as does the TG01) on the screen side at the bottom for 'Home' and 'Back', which are useful... though they don't give the reassuring 'mini vibration' feedback that you got with the HD - I'm guessing that could be rectified in software though.
Battery life - the TG01, quite frankly, sucks in this department. It goes down 3 bars during an average day of a few texts and small amount of calls, maybe a bit of data and needs charging each night. I also think when the charge cycle finishes, it fails to provide power to the phone through the adapter. I could be wrong, but when I charged it at 10pm one night, by 11am the next day it decided it had run out of battery already. The HD could go at least two days with the same amount of use.
The camera on the TG01, although only 3MP (compared to the HD's 5MP) feels less jerky, and it appears better quality than the HD, despite the max resolution. The autofocus works well, though there is a considerable gap between the shutter press and the picture being taken - I'd say almost a full second. The HD was quicker, but not considerably so. Video on the TG01 can be taken at 640x480 and at 30fps - something the HD would really struggle with. And it plays back well, I'm actually impressed with that! I can imagine the next generation will all be 720p, which is exciting.
The software makes all the difference between the phones. I shudder to think how awful the TG01 would have been with the original Windows Mobile 6.1 OS running. Thankfully the one I have is running 6.5 and makes things a little nicer. However, HTC really have trumped this phone with their Touchflow system which is so intuitive and nice to use... in comparison to the basic MS offerings. The keyboard on the TG01 (though made 'better' by Toshiba) is hard to use... easier than the built in Windows one, but still makes producing texts and emails a slow arduous chore. Somehow the HTC one was just better - probably to do with the differences in the type of touchscreen they use (I believe this one is resistive and the HD was capacitive... correct me if I'm wrong). I'm not a fan of predictive text but the TG01 does have it and it seems pretty good.
My TG01 is Orange branded, but it's just a case of switching the Today screen theme to Windows Default to get rid of their horrible attempt... then you get the usual WM6.5 options, which scroll smoothly up and down, and left and right... putting all that processor power to good use. The start menu is better than before - treating everything like 'Apps'... so you can move your most used ones to the top and have everything you want within a couple of clicks, which is good.
The TG01 feels faster and indeed it should, given the 1GHz processor which is a step up from the HD's older, slower one. Running Slingplayer is nice and zippy, though still a little choppy but you can't have everything. It's certainly more responsive flicking through channels and suchlike.
I'd say use Opera for your web browser, not IE because it's definitely suited to this phone - lovely to use with a great start screen for 9 of your favourite websites... and runs so quickly and smoothly, I don't think the HD could cope as well.
The Gyroscope is a little funky on the TG01. Many times I have to shake it up and down to get it to go into portrait mode having picked it up. Although I have calibrated it to try and fix it, quite often it thinks I want to see things sideways when I don't. A gentle twist 90 degrees and back normally fixes it but I can't help shake it when it doesn't! Never had that problem with the HD - but I'm not sure if this is WM6.5 creating problems that didn't exist in the Touchflow environment on top of 6.1.
I still can't get a 'Comm Manager' which rivals that on the HD, on the TG01. All I want to do is momentarily turn off the data connection - not disable it permanently or anything, and the HD had that really easily accessible. The TG01, as mentioned previously, just has 'Phone', 'Bluetooth' and 'Wifi'... turning off 'Phone' is the only way to stop the data connection. This I want to do in the situation where I'm on Wifi but for some reason the phone continues to use the 3G connection... so is annoying!
Next, until I found an option in the TG01 to disable the screen from coming on whenever it was touched, I was having a nightmare in phone calls with blips and beeps in my ear... presumably my cheek trying to go through my calendar etc. That really should have been off by default. It still happens too, even with the option off, when I cradle the phone between my neck and ear... so now I have to hold it, and be careful not to press the side button with my hand too!
The sound quality of phone calls on the TG01 is pretty bad in my ear compared to the HD - anything 'loud' - even with the speaker turned down - gets distorted. But it's useable.
Now to my current bugbear. The TG01 can't travel at speed and do anything useful. I'm writing this on a train, in Notepad. I have taken this particular train journey (Sheffield to London St Pancras and back) several times with the HD and enjoyed being able to use the internet throughout most of the journey. The TG01 can't even hold onto a network at speed for more than a few seconds at best, so tethering is out of the question and, yesterday, trying to call my bank took 18 attempts to get to the bit where I could hear my balance, I'm not joking. It is bluntly speaking, rubbish.
Unless Orange have moved every mast along the way so they're hardly ever in range, I'm putting this one down to the phone. I mean, we were still in North London at the start of this journey when it lost the signal and it hasn't regained it yet. I'm hoping to upload this review when we're stood still in Leicester, but even then it takes forever for the phone to find the network...
So... yes, you can imagine I'm overall less than impressed with the TG01.
But then it is a cheaper phone, and it is definitely a case of "If you never had an HD, you'd never know". Because overall, it's a good, and fairly amazing piece of technology. But I'd take back an HD tomorrow if offered I'm afraid.
I've decided now I'm going to the dark side anyway and waiting for the launch of the iPhone 4/HD, sorry to say!
Hope this was useful anyway. Any questions, I'll be pleased to answer!
patc said:
Well I said when I had the time I would write a review comparing the HTC Touch HD and Toshiba TG01. I got the TG01 as an insurance replacement for the HD, so was not a purchasing choice, but I liked the sound of the spec and agreed to the swap (they had no HDs in stock!). Sorry the review's not exactly comprehensive and is a bit all over the place, but is an immediate reaction having owned the TG01 for a couple of weeks and just a list of things which spring to mind!
The Toshiba is big. If you're used to bigger smartphones (Which I was with the HD) then it will still feel big. It's not thick though, it's decidedly thinner than the HD (slim enough to slip through the gaps in my decking it seems... but I caught it in time!), and does slip into an average trouser pocket without poking too much from the top. However, its sheer size makes it hard to use with one hand. The screen is a great size though, and is lovely and clear. It has a built in light sensor also to help with battery life so you may think the screen's a bit dull to start with - go outside and try again or switch the option off and you'll see how vibrant it is.
The hard buttons are laid out slightly differently and aren't too bad - with the HD I did suffer from turning on the phone by accident in my pocket quite often as that button is located on the top of the phone. On the Toshiba, it's on the side and it hasn't activated itself yet. The HD had touch sensitive buttons (as does the TG01) on the screen side at the bottom for 'Home' and 'Back', which are useful... though they don't give the reassuring 'mini vibration' feedback that you got with the HD - I'm guessing that could be rectified in software though.
Battery life - the TG01, quite frankly, sucks in this department. It goes down 3 bars during an average day of a few texts and small amount of calls, maybe a bit of data and needs charging each night. I also think when the charge cycle finishes, it fails to provide power to the phone through the adapter. I could be wrong, but when I charged it at 10pm one night, by 11am the next day it decided it had run out of battery already. The HD could go at least two days with the same amount of use.
The camera on the TG01, although only 3MP (compared to the HD's 5MP) feels less jerky, and it appears better quality than the HD, despite the max resolution. The autofocus works well, though there is a considerable gap between the shutter press and the picture being taken - I'd say almost a full second. The HD was quicker, but not considerably so. Video on the TG01 can be taken at 640x480 and at 30fps - something the HD would really struggle with. And it plays back well, I'm actually impressed with that! I can imagine the next generation will all be 720p, which is exciting.
The software makes all the difference between the phones. I shudder to think how awful the TG01 would have been with the original Windows Mobile 6.1 OS running. Thankfully the one I have is running 6.5 and makes things a little nicer. However, HTC really have trumped this phone with their Touchflow system which is so intuitive and nice to use... in comparison to the basic MS offerings. The keyboard on the TG01 (though made 'better' by Toshiba) is hard to use... easier than the built in Windows one, but still makes producing texts and emails a slow arduous chore. Somehow the HTC one was just better - probably to do with the differences in the type of touchscreen they use (I believe this one is resistive and the HD was capacitive... correct me if I'm wrong). I'm not a fan of predictive text but the TG01 does have it and it seems pretty good.
My TG01 is Orange branded, but it's just a case of switching the Today screen theme to Windows Default to get rid of their horrible attempt... then you get the usual WM6.5 options, which scroll smoothly up and down, and left and right... putting all that processor power to good use. The start menu is better than before - treating everything like 'Apps'... so you can move your most used ones to the top and have everything you want within a couple of clicks, which is good.
The TG01 feels faster and indeed it should, given the 1GHz processor which is a step up from the HD's older, slower one. Running Slingplayer is nice and zippy, though still a little choppy but you can't have everything. It's certainly more responsive flicking through channels and suchlike.
I'd say use Opera for your web browser, not IE because it's definitely suited to this phone - lovely to use with a great start screen for 9 of your favourite websites... and runs so quickly and smoothly, I don't think the HD could cope as well.
The Gyroscope is a little funky on the TG01. Many times I have to shake it up and down to get it to go into portrait mode having picked it up. Although I have calibrated it to try and fix it, quite often it thinks I want to see things sideways when I don't. A gentle twist 90 degrees and back normally fixes it but I can't help shake it when it doesn't! Never had that problem with the HD - but I'm not sure if this is WM6.5 creating problems that didn't exist in the Touchflow environment on top of 6.1.
I still can't get a 'Comm Manager' which rivals that on the HD, on the TG01. All I want to do is momentarily turn off the data connection - not disable it permanently or anything, and the HD had that really easily accessible. The TG01, as mentioned previously, just has 'Phone', 'Bluetooth' and 'Wifi'... turning off 'Phone' is the only way to stop the data connection. This I want to do in the situation where I'm on Wifi but for some reason the phone continues to use the 3G connection... so is annoying!
Next, until I found an option in the TG01 to disable the screen from coming on whenever it was touched, I was having a nightmare in phone calls with blips and beeps in my ear... presumably my cheek trying to go through my calendar etc. That really should have been off by default. It still happens too, even with the option off, when I cradle the phone between my neck and ear... so now I have to hold it, and be careful not to press the side button with my hand too!
The sound quality of phone calls on the TG01 is pretty bad in my ear compared to the HD - anything 'loud' - even with the speaker turned down - gets distorted. But it's useable.
Now to my current bugbear. The TG01 can't travel at speed and do anything useful. I'm writing this on a train, in Notepad. I have taken this particular train journey (Sheffield to London St Pancras and back) several times with the HD and enjoyed being able to use the internet throughout most of the journey. The TG01 can't even hold onto a network at speed for more than a few seconds at best, so tethering is out of the question and, yesterday, trying to call my bank took 18 attempts to get to the bit where I could hear my balance, I'm not joking. It is bluntly speaking, rubbish.
Unless Orange have moved every mast along the way so they're hardly ever in range, I'm putting this one down to the phone. I mean, we were still in North London at the start of this journey when it lost the signal and it hasn't regained it yet. I'm hoping to upload this review when we're stood still in Leicester, but even then it takes forever for the phone to find the network...
So... yes, you can imagine I'm overall less than impressed with the TG01.
But then it is a cheaper phone, and it is definitely a case of "If you never had an HD, you'd never know". Because overall, it's a good, and fairly amazing piece of technology. But I'd take back an HD tomorrow if offered I'm afraid.
I've decided now I'm going to the dark side anyway and waiting for the launch of the iPhone 4/HD, sorry to say!
Hope this was useful anyway. Any questions, I'll be pleased to answer!
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Nice post!!
Great comparison, however to correct you, they are both resistive touchscreen but somehow the HD is slightly more sensitive.
You seem dissapointed by the device. I highly recommend installing a HTC Sense custom rom. It will really make it superior much better than the HD and almost in the same league as the newer HD2!
Also i have also somehow found the Toshiba Keyboard to be less responsive aswell. If you are still use to the HTC Touch HD keyboard, search for HTC Ezinput 1.5 WVGA on one of XDA developers threads. Or you can try the new HTC Keyboard 2.0/2.1 found on newer HTC devices.
Anyway, i recommend flashing a HTC Sense Debranded custom ROM
Best of luck
Hi all,
Looking to buy a new phone for the wife, and I think it's time to get her one (she's still using a Nokia N80, haha). I didn't play around with the actual Mini 10 yet, but I played with Android on my Topaz and I like it (as a system). I imagine it'll run much faster on a dedicated piece of hw.
So I'm just seeing what everyone here thinks of X10 mini pro phone and if anyone has dropped it (she's clumsy), or if there are any known issues. It's for her, so she'll just be using it and not needing to root it or anything else.
Questions:
Speed, does it flow well, and how do you think it will hold up to Froyo? (if it becomes available)
How is the hardware in real life (does the keyboard last, how about dropping it?)
Are there any real popular problems with the hardware/software?
Real life battery? My Topaz needs to be charged mid-day, with EDGE on only
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
How is it as a phone for text messages and chatting? Annoying, or just takes getting used to?
Let me know your thoughts,
Thanx!
My girlfriend has the x10 mini (not pro), but as nobody has replied yet I thought I'd make a quick post as they are almost the same hardware-wise I thought it might be useful.
Speed, does it flow well, and how do you think it will hold up to Froyo? (if it becomes available)
its very fast, really quick and snappy to move around the menus/apps, you can tell the difference between it and my hero (using stock rom) for example.
I dont see why it wouldnt handle FroYo well, my Hero is currently running 2.2 with no problems and as the X10mini has a slightly better ram/processor it should do it equally if not better than my hero does.
How is the hardware in real life (does the keyboard last, how about dropping it?)
I think the phones a bit small, by the g/f loves it, fits in her hand and more importantly her purse for a night out so she's more than happy. dont have the keyboard so cant comment on that.
as for dropping it, she did that after 2 days and took a small chunk out of one of the buttons and scratched the screen, 3 days after that she dropped it down the toilet and fried the little bugger (thank god for insurance!) The non removable battery was the killer as we couldn't shut it down quick enough to try and dry it out.
Are there any real popular problems with the hardware/software?
the non-removable battery is a pain as you cant pull it out when the phone crashes (it has done this a couple of times for her now), software wise its not the greatest android experience as SE have customised it a lot compared to the stock roms from HTC, but the g/f prefers it as its much simpler and she's not a tech geek like me so it doesn't bother her
Real life battery? My Topaz needs to be charged mid-day, with EDGE on only
a few people on here say they get a couple of days out of it, not sure how myself, the g/f is currently charging it every night, sometimes it will last till the following morning but she does use it a lot tho (avid facebook fan) am sure we could improve it tho by turning off the GPS, WiFi etc but she wants everything left on as otherwise theres no point buying a phone that has all these features if you turn them off to save battery. it lasts a full day with heavy use so pretty good really.
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
I rooted it so I could remove all the god awful demo's that sony/orange have planted on there as they were doing her nut in, I also popped titanium backup on there and shootme for screenshots, other than that its probably not needed.
How is it as a phone for text messages and chatting? Annoying, or just takes getting used to?
like any phone, I think there is a small amount of getting used to it, but as my missus has come from a touchscreen phone relatively the same size, she has taken to it with ease. she sits their quiet happily tapping away. Obviously she doesnt have the hardware keyboard so cant comment on how it is using that.
Speed, does it flow well, and how do you think it will hold up to Froyo? (if it becomes available)
It's a brilliantly speedy device, menus flow well and there's never lag when loading new screens. Sometimes there'll be a slight lag when waking the phone up from sleep, but it's just as bad as any other device.
How is the hardware in real life (does the keyboard last, how about dropping it?)
The keyboard is a great addition to the phone, although it can sound a little bit cheap from the plastic squeaking, but that's only because the device is so small. I haven't dropped it yet but it seems sturdy enough judging by the close encounters I've had with it, the back cover seems to be made of a scratch resistant material anyway so it'll not get banged up too easily. In all honesty the screen could be better, I was a little disheartened when I was comparing it to a friends iPhone just to see the difference. However it's still an ample screen, text is clear and web browsing is a breeze. Although it can become cluttered very easily.
Are there any real popular problems with the hardware/software?
The only thing I was concerned about was the screen size, but it's given me nothing to be worried about. The software has a few bugs here and there, such as Wi-Fi dropping randomly, but these should be ironed out with the next update. Overall there are no 'problems' that should stop you from buying the phone.
Real life battery? My Topaz needs to be charged mid-day, with EDGE on only
With heavy usage I can get about a day and a half out of it - that's including Wi-Fi, the odd bit of GPS and constant music playing as well as apps, web browsing and regular texting, but I charge it every night as that's what I've always done with any phone I've had.
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
I rooted mine so I could get around that nasty implication of having a lower-than-normal resolution screen, that is, half of the apps on the market don't show up. But rooting allowed me to use the patched market from a thread on here and all apps work great, the system scales them down anyway so everything's good. Rooting also allowed me to install an app which blocks all ads in apps - I know it's not the most moral thing to do, but with a screen so small you need that extra space taken up by an ad.
How is it as a phone for text messages and chatting? Annoying, or just takes getting used to?
I've had no problems while texting or chatting. The keyboard is excellent, although the addition of a spell-ckecker when using the keyboard wouldn't go amiss. The on-screen keyboard is great too, brilliantly responsive allowing for quick texting.
"The keyboard is a great addition to the phone, although it can sound a little bit cheap from the plastic squeaking"
Does the keyboard close securely? I've stayed away from sliding keyboards for a long time because they tend to open in my pocket. This device is so small, I have to give it a try when it hits the US.
Also, are there landscape keyboards that you can put on the mini?
I haven't used android yet...
bazalicious said:
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
I rooted mine so I could get around that nasty implication of having a lower-than-normal resolution screen, ...
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Could you explain pls?
Baxter said:
"The keyboard is a great addition to the phone, although it can sound a little bit cheap from the plastic squeaking"
Does the keyboard close securely? I've stayed away from sliding keyboards for a long time because they tend to open in my pocket. This device is so small, I have to give it a try when it hits the US.
Also, are there landscape keyboards that you can put on the mini?
I haven't used android yet...
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Yeah the keyboard closes securely. Hasn't opened up in my pocket yet. Not too sure about the Mini as I don't own one.
kimb0 said:
Could you explain pls?
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App developers usually design their apps to work on a device with a HVGA resolution. However, because the resolution on the X10 Mini is QVGA, some apps do not show up in the market due to HVGA resolution screens being a requirement. Read this thread for more info
bazalicious said:
App developers usually design their apps to work on a device with a HVGA resolution. However, because the resolution on the X10 Mini is QVGA, some apps do not show up in the market due to HVGA resolution screens being a requirement. Read this thread for more info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
Thanks for the replies guys. The only thing that's making me hesitant about picking it up right now is the lack of damn firmware updates for this thing. SE only cares about their phones for the time that they're out. When the new model comes out, they stop updating the older ones.
I love Froyo on my Topaz and I want it on here before Q4, since that's when Win Phone 7's are coming out. It'll be hesitant, but if I buy it, you'll be the first to know.
The resolution hack seems like something that's much needed. Thanks!
I've been in several discussions with users that have come from (or previously owned) the 5 inch HTC Advantage. I see Dell Streak users have a thread to compare/contrast to the Note, so I thought I would do the same for the Advantage. This may help some to decide to move from the Advantage to the Note - or not.
For those that don't know what the Advantage is, it came out 5 years ago - the first phone with a 5" screen. It also included a detachable keyboard, stereo speakers, video port, stylus/pen, and a 8 GB hard drive when most SD cards at the time were below 2 GB. It had its problems, too. Since it was so far ahead of its time it was fairly bulky and heavy even with the keyboard removed. It didn't have a private speaker for phone calls. It had room for a vibration motor internally but it was never implemented even in later models, presumably because it caused problems with the hard drive. The other references in the thread title are the development name, and model names/numbers used by various carriers. Here is the XDA forum for the Advantage: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=351
My personal reaction, as I've told several already, is the Note is by far a better phone. Physical stats, operating system, having things like a private speaker and vibration which the Advantage should have had, all add up. Not to mention that the Note costs 1/3 of what the Advantage did so you have far less to loose. The Note/Android has its deficiencies. I've had to install a half-dozen apps to add features which were built into Windows Mobile - things like incremental ring volume, ability to get more than a single system notification for things like texts and calendar appointments (miss the first one and you've missed your appointment!), or keeping the screen from timing out when it is plugged in or for specific apps. But at least you can extend/improve the OS with apps without unlocking/rooting or flashing to a whole new OS. Which many Advantage owners did including me.
All that said, the Advantage held a special place in my heart. In the 4 1/2 years I used mine, I often told my wife it was the best gadget I had ever owned and I meant it. Which is saying a lot with all the gadgets and computers I've owned since 1984. But the Note is so good that if IT had come out 5 years ago, I'm sure I would be saying the same thing about it right now. Buy one.
I have a x7501 for a few years, but haven't been actively using it in the last few years also (went to iPhone, Android etc). I am interested in the Note, but haven't decided to get one yet.
But I think one fundamental difference is that the Athena is a keyboarded device (you can use it without, but you also loose the stand at the same time). Its stereo speakers and other positioning makes it a mainly landscape orientation device.
I really don't care about its thickness, it's not that bad. It is a bit thick w/ its leather case, but it does that to any other devices anyway.
What I don't like about the Athena: battery life, speed (I'm shocked reviews that said it's fast), photo taken with camera (rear) has off (red) colour (no ROM can fix that). Especially the last piece, it's unforgivable for a $1,500. USD product! The 8GB HDD is both slow, and battery eating, and cannot be turned off.
I just can't say I like it as much as some of you do. I don't hate it, but I don't think it was worth the $1,000. I paid for. If I had paid $1,500. then, I'd have sued them (just kidding).
I lugged the keyboard around for 1 1/2 years, but finally left it on my work desk permanently. Only used it there when I was streaming XM.
I never had a problem with battery life, it would last me much longer than the 12 hours I would go between unplugging in the morning and plugging it back in when I got home. Never had a problem with the camera, either. Good colors all around, not that the quality was that great.
I think you'll like the Note, all the advantages (pun intended) of the 7501 and none of its problems. After you add some apps to tweak the downfalls of the OS.
i'm one, see my siggie
i've had still have that gigantic heavy monstrous HTC 5" for the longest time
still trying to get Android installed on it someday
I had the x7501, then the x7510, and the note is 1/2 as thick, has a "phone" speaker, and besides all of the obvious spec advantages, is lighter and easier to hold. The screen is far more responsive than the old tft pressure technology without the inaccuracy of the iphone/android capacitive blunt-object to write/draw with issue.
all thumbs up for the note... though the Advantage was WAY ahead of its time.
I don't understand these threads. I get that the advantage was way ahead of its time, but it's 5 years old. 5! Would anyone seriously pick the advantage over the note?
I sold my x7501 long ago. Good times, lol.
nstong said:
I don't understand these threads. I get that the advantage was way ahead of its time, but it's 5 years old. 5! Would anyone seriously pick the advantage over the note?
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I guess sometimes people can't let their old devices go.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
This isn't about keeping the Advantage. Its about comparing one to the other for those that are familiar with the Advantage and loved all of its features.
I think it is not about keeping the Advantage / Athena, may be it's partly nostalgia, partly comparing what's missing on current devices (bad things are not missed, I'm talking about things that users might like or prefer):
1. Stereo speakers. How hard can that be? But so far, iPhone doesn't have it, none of my Android phones up to 4.65" have it, my Tablet P by Sony has a tiny mono speaker. Only the Playbook (once had, now sold), and the Samsung Q1 have stereo speakers and good sound.
2. The metal case has pros and cons. It can get dented and discolouring when bumped / scratched, but it made it more sturdy as it is metal. But at least it is unique, and also makes it feel more premium (until it gets dented, like mine, from dropping, that is). Now everything besides iPhones are just plastics.
3. Magnetic keyboard. Now, no more, never seen and all give way to on screen ones, except a few. But those few, including Blackberry, do not want to do a magnetic keyboard, may be it's the cost, or fear of bad contacts. But again, this is very unique and hasn't been replicated. The see thru window to mimic the status bar on it makes it even cooler.
4. External connections for: USB host (only very lately, there are USB OTG for Android devices, before this, support was very poor, mostly only HID stuff), VGA out, cellular antenna, GPS antenna. Granted, the last 3 are not as needed today, and some Android devices have HDMI outputs that replace VGA more or less.
right now, few Android phones can stand on a desk unless with a kick stand case (which is usually the kind I buy, as I want it stand similar to what Advantage can do w/ the keyboard).
I think some clamshell MIDs like UMID / Viliv had come close to the design of Advantage but physically not as cool, no magnetic keyboard etc.
I guess the problem with modern design is that nobody would make a $1,500. device unless it is for industrial or military use, so they have to save cost and won't engage in fancy design and materials. In the case for Advantage, it's HTC flagship product, so they went all out.
Looking at current HTC products now, there aren't anything really special (I'm talking strictly from the physical point of view, since operating systems are all the same across the manufacturers anyway).
People are often amazed when I tell them that the Note is my third 5" phone. I loved the Advantage and the Dell Streak I had before the Note. No way I can go to a smaller screen. Very happy that the rest of the world is catching on to the benefits of a large screen device. And there are things I miss from Windows Mobile. I found it easier to flash ROMs and change the look and feel of the device.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium