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.
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, ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Updated 9/18/2012
I started this post intending to post a few gripes about the Titan after using it for only 24 hours. I thought it was only fair to toss in some things that I like about the Titan. After typing it all out, this is just short of a full review! I'll add to these lists as I continue to use the phone.
Caveats:
This is my second Windows Phone, so I'm being much harder on it than I was on my Focus. On the other hand, aside from the ever-present accidental hits of the capacative buttons, I never really had a problem with my Focus anyway.
This is, ultimately, a considerable upgrade from my Focus. It just feels higher quality build-wise, I love the heft, the massive screen is a dream come true, and the whole package isn't THAT much bigger than my Focus. Further, the software runs noticeably faster. This is the best phone I have ever owned, period.
Finally, I got this from AT&T for one freakin' penny, so I have no room to complain anyway.
Gripes:
CALL QUALITY: I haven't had consistent call quality. I've been told a few times that I sound muffled, but the other party is sometimes on a headset. Jury's still out on this one, as I'm not sure if it's the Titan or the other parties' handsets. UPDATE (12/12): I wanted to give it a few more chances before reporting this problem, but after two weeks I can confirm that the outgoing call quality leaves an awful lot to be desired. It doesn't seem to be as bad as some are reporting (and returning their Titans for), but I'm consistently told that I'm hard to hear on the other end. It may be due to some combination of the way I'm holding it or where I'm holding it, but whether it's up to my ear, on speakerphone or through the [wired] headset, I'm told I'm muffled. CRAPPYPANTS. UPDATE (9/18/12): As you can see from my grin list, I've never had a signal issue with WiFi or cellular service. Unfortunately, the call quality problem never EVER resolved. It's extremely difficult for people to hear me, and I need to repeat myself several times during any given conversation. It was actually made slightly worse, according to some, after I added the simple silicone case, but that doesn't mean it wasn't horrendous before. Worse yet, I recommended the Titan to my dad when it went on sale for a penny. Now I can't understand him and he can't understand me. "What?" "What?" "What?" "What?" GRRR THIS IS LITERALLY THE LAST OUTSTANDING, ANNOYING ISSUE I HAVE WITH THIS PHONE!
KEYBOARD LAG: There is considerable lag each and every time I use the keyboard. This is really weird, but the first key I tap doesn't do anything, and then it always "catches up" right after I type the next key. Subsequent key presses are fine. I know I'm a fast typer, and it only happens on the first key, but it's still annoying. UPDATE (12/5): This behavior has disappeared, presumably after the device has been restarted once or twice over the past few days. UPDATE (12/20): This behavior is BACK, even noticeable on the code input on my lockscreen—I'll push the first two digits before it "catches up." UPDATE (9/18/12): I no longer notice any keyboard lag. Unfortunately, the lock screen lag continues to be an issue.
RANDOM RESTART: The Titan restarted itself when I plugged it in to charge. (This was just 5 minutes ago, and it killed my podcast. Curses.) UPDATE (12/20): This only happened once and hasn't happened since! UPDATE (9/18/12): Like all Windows Phones, stability remains amazing. I'll have a random restart like every 6-8 weeks max. That said, as happy as I am with the stability, there was one crash way back in January that wiped out my phone completely and required a factory reset. I have no idea what caused it, and it hasn't happened again, but it was really sad. Thankfully my WiFi backup ensured I didn't lose any photos or video!
VOLUME LEVEL: The volume is too loud. I was excited that the Titan was going to have higher volume than the Focus, but it never occurred to me that that meant the lowest volume would be louder too. When I want to listen to something quietly through the speaker, 1 is too loud. I actually have to partially cover the speaker grille if I want it at a discrete level. When it comes to listening to things over the headset, things sound pretty good anywhere under 10, but if I'm listening to things in the quiet of my bedroom before falling asleep, even 1 is too loud. I just answered with my wired headset for the first time 2 minute ago and my wife's voice just about blew out my eardrums because the in-call volume was set to 10. Lowered it to 1, and it was tolerable, but I wish I could lower it further. UPDATE (12/5): Put a Christmas channel on Slacker yesterday and propped up the phone on a table where me and family were playing board games. It wasn't pristine sound, but it was sufficiently loud and clear to add to our ambiance. UPDATE (12/20): Volume is great for the AUX input in my car. Sound is pristine. UPDATE (9/18/12): The volume is great through the speaker, the few rare times I use it, but the lowest setting is still too loud, either through headphones or through the speaker. There are times that I turn a caller down all the way and they're still hurting my ears; and these aren't folks with loud voices either.
HEADSET: The AT&T version did not come with a wired headset. CHEAPSKATES! UPDATE (9/18/12): Still no headset. Thank goodness for the Focus headset.
VIBRATE: Maybe it's because this device is so much heavier, but the vibrate on this phone is weak—not nearly as strong as it was on the Focus. As I pretty much only use two settings, silent and vibrate, this is a huge problem for me. I've already missed a half dozen calls because the phone was in my pocket on vibrate, which I should have felt. UPDATE (12/20): This is still a huge issue for me, and I miss phone calls like crazy because I don't always feel the vibrate. UPDATE (9/18/12): Still an issue. I've just gotten used to missing calls.
ATTENTIVE PHONE: Trying out Attentive Phone, I've had a few issues. Flipping the phone over sometimes turns on the speaker, sometimes doesn't. Twice now, however, picking it from face down with speaker on doesn't just turn the speaker off but actually hangs up on the person I'm talking to! UPDATE (12/20): From what I can tell, Attentive Phone also causes the phone to vibrate for an extended length of time while in your pocket (or ring louder). This alleviates my gripe about vibrate (above), but the first few times it happened I thought, "oh crap, my phone is screwing up." UPDATE (9/18/12): I forgot it even had these features. Guess I'll have to try them out again.
Grins:
SPEED: Keyboard lag, screen sensitivity, and random freezes aside, this thing screams. I'm not seeing any software lag. I first noticed it in the camera app, when I took a picture and it was ready to take another picture FAR faster than my Focus would have been.
CAMERA: Speaking of the camera, it is fantastic. I'd say less saturation than my Focus, but again that's probably chalked up to the screen (see above). The extras HTC put in are awesome, and a large part of why I chose this phone (because my point-and-shoot is all but dead, and I intend for this phone to take its place, as my Focus did before it). UPDATE (12/20): Have taken some stunning shots with this camera, but I admittedly took some amazing shots with the Focus too. Please let me know if you'd like me to post any.
CONNECTION SPEEDS: Download speeds seem fine (yay "4G!"), Wi-Fi works well.
TEXT/FONTS/PIXELLATION: I am not experiencing jagged graphics/text or any visible pixellation, even on Internet Explorer with zoomed-out pages (as some have reported). Others have said that it's the icons at the bottom of apps that break down—if you look closely, maybe, but that's a real stretch. I recently noticed how crappy an app icon looked on gMaps, but since all the other apps' icons look fine, I have to pin that on the developer.
GLASS: I'm guessing that the verdict is that this has hardened glass, but not Gorilla Glass. I'm still not even clear what my Focus had, but as long as it's as hardy as my Focus, I'll be happy. After 8 months, my Focus screen was barely scratched. This screen still seems okay, but I'm keeping my eye on it. I've never had a single good experience with screen protectors. UPDATE (12/20): After 3 weeks of use, I've scoured the device and cannot find a single scratch, scrape, or any other kind of damage. It don't have a case or screen protector, and it either lives in my jeans pocket or on my desk in front of me.
STORAGE: Don't care about the storage issues. 16GB (aka 12.5GB) is plenty for me, and Live Mesh keeps everything synced between my computers, so I don't want/need to use this thing as a flash drive. If preventing expandable memory helps speed up the phone by locking down the file system and allowing faster memory, I'm all for it. UPDATE (12/20): Loaded up 1500 Christmas songs for a trip alongside my typical two-dozen podcasts. Phone had no problems.
CAPACITIVE BUTTONS: I haven't experienced nearly as many accidental hits of the capacitive buttons as I did on my Focus. I'm not sure if it's the Titan's size or the button placement, but this is a huge relief.
MANGO: Mango rocks. I'd laundered my Focus before Mango came out, so I've had to watch my wife NOT use all of Mango's cool new features on her Focus. Now that I have it, I'm very, very happy. "Multitasking" is great, and I'm a Contact Group addict. I hope they create App Groups soon.
HTC APPS: Very impressed by HTCs app offering. Makes Samsung's app collection look paltry.
BUILD QUALITY: Just to reiterate and buttons aside, the build is fantastic. I love the heft, I love the metal, I love how the screen and innards sit "inside" the back cover. UPDATE (12/12): Really getting used to the size, heft and materials. Feels great and familiar!
Grins formerly known as Gripes:
SIZE: One-handed operation is difficult, especially reaching for things on the far side of the screen with my thumb. Fine, I have smallish hands and totally expected this. Still annoying. UPDATE (12/12): Really getting used to the size, heft and materials. Feels great and familiar!
GHOSTING: Ghosting is an issue, at least for me. I don't think I'll notice it much, but if you look for it it's very noticeable. Some are saying the text "blurs," but I'm definitely thinking this is genuinely ghosting, as I'm seeing a white "trail" behind my text as I scroll. UPDATE (12/20): As expected, I do not notice this AT ALL.
SCREEN RESPONSIVENESS: Screen is not as sensitive/responsive as my Focus. The surface is smooth, but just seems the tiniest bit "stickier" than the Focus; I'll have to swipe or tap more than once to do one thing more often than I did on the Focus.UPDATE (12/20): I guess I've just adapted, because I'm noticing this less and less.
BUTTONS: The buttons suck. They are all far too flush. Like many reviewers have said, it's all but impossible to feel your way to the power button, and volume rocker isn't much better. UPDATE (12/5): I have to reiterate my complaints about the buttons. On my Focus, I could easily change the in-call volume with my thumb while the phone was held up to my ear. Now I'm using the tips of my fingers to frantically search for a volume rocker I can't feel. I'm still not used to the power button and not sure I ever will be. It's also worth noting that because this phone has so much front "real estate," it's actually tough finding the exact millimeter where the speaker is against your ear.UPDATE (9/18/12): I put a simple case on my phone several months ago, and although the white has turned a dingy yellow, it has raised areas where the buttons are. The buttons are easier to find and push, so I've had no problems since!
BATTERY: A 1950mah battery of the same size has already been found, which is only annoying because it means someone skimped. Right now the Titan seems to have a far shorter battery life than my Focus, but it's brand new, so I've been using it like crazy and know that this isn't a fair assessment! UPDATE (12/5): I have no hard numbers to back this up, but I'm disappointed with the battery thus far. The Focus seemed to last longer, and my WinMo phone from a year ago lasted much longer. I'll have to tweak some things to see if that improves anything. UPDATE (12/20): Two weeks later and I'm doing a complete 180 on the battery. Maybe it's the conditioning or the fact that I'm using it less since it is no longer "new," but this thing lasts forever. I took a five hour car ride and played Zune through my car speakers the whole time and it was only down to seventy-something from a full charge! My wife's Focus dies with much less use. UPDATE (9/18/12): Batter life is better than ever. Occasionally I'll turn on battery saver right away after a full charge if I need my phone to work for a long, long time, or I put airplane mode on if I'll be in a low signal area. The bottom line is that this thing, big screen and all, seems to last forever.
SCREEN COLORS: The only thing I'd heard about the LCD screen was the the blacks weren't as black as the AMOLED screens. True, but that's NOT the only thing different. Overall, the screen is considerably less saturated than my Focus. Not a deal killer, and I might grow to even prefer the more subtle colors, but I just wanted to point it out. Regardless, it is far preferable to the blue tint of the whites on the Focus S screen. UPDATE (12/20): As predicted, I have come to MUCH prefer the color on my Titan to my oversaturated Focus.
FREEZING: I've also noticed a few freeze-ups. Last night the HTC Flashlight app stopped responding all of a sudden; I think I just hit the power button twice and that brought it back. Luckily, none of the freeze-ups have required a restart (and no, these aren't SRS-related freeze-ups). UPDATE (12/20): This only happened once and hasn't happened since!
WINDOWS LOGO LED: Totally forgot this stupid little cosmetic gripe: whatever LED is behind the Windows logo is a smidge too close to the bottom right panel of said window. It's brighter than the other three quadrants, almost to the point of seeing the LED itself. Does that make sense? Maybe it's just my unit, but it's definitely noticeable and off-putting…just the sort of thing that will nag me for the next two years. UPDATE (12/20): Truly this is just a niggle. It's only apparent in low-light conditions, and I just don't notice it any more.
Just got mine today, though I've been using WP7 on my HD2 lately.
I'm sure I'll get used to the buttons, I have had trouble finding the volume keys but I like where they are, at the thumb. The power button was awkward, but in less than a few hours I'm used to it. My hands are small, and I have accidentally activated the search button with my thumb joint while reaching across with my thumb. Already dropped it in the car :/, minor fall, no scrapes or scuffs anywhere.
My only issues so far have been software; I have the zune music pass, I used the dj function and handed it to my sister. It would play 40 seconds of each song before going to the next one. Works fine after a reboot. Then, when using Maps/GPS navigation, it wouldn't advance to the next step automatically; I had to manually push each step... though I might not be using it right. I did press 'start' but it refused to automatically advance as I reached each turn.
I know it's not Super Amoled, but side by side with my HD2 and wow, it's like I've never seen colors before! Blacks are pleasantly black, and I don't have a samsung phone on hand to compare it to, but to my memory this is nearly as good as my friend's samsung captivate.
I agree that even the lowest volume setting is too loud, though I haven't changed my SRS settings yet, as I have had no lag, ever, yet. Internet is fine, no issues here in both wifi and 4G. I hope that the rumors of the focus s having faster speeds are false...
Speaking of 4G, is it actually 4G or did they rebrand H as 4G? I think it is faster, but then again the titan could just have better throughput than the HD2 or my Pure.
I wanted to test out the focus s and titan in store before buying, but I got tired of reading online and being swayed for one or the other with everything I've read... and then the penny sale happened, so I went with my gut and just got the titan. HTC does a better job on build quality than samsung, and afaik the only benefit of a samsung (in practical terms) is the superior screens they craft with magic and rainbows. eh, I have my samsung tv, that's enough. I hope the titan's battery is as good as I've read...
Last; what's with chevron labs 'out of tickets'? Come on! My thought process as I saw this: 'I would have paid $9, but I'm not patient enough to wait microsoft! *tries to send dev unlock cab, fails* guess I have to wait'. there isn't a way to unlock it otherwise, is there?
I am assuming that H is HSPDA+ because Titan does display 3G icon sometime before i pop back to H.
People are complaining that AT&T limit their Titan Bandwidth/ Titan Hardware problem/
I must be the user this phone was designed for. I have not had any issues with one-handed operation, including being able to use the power button. I also don't have any issue with the camera or volume rocker buttons. I can easily type one-handed.
I was very apprehensive about the size of the screen. Now that I have used it for a week, I absolutely love it. I can see what people are calling ghosting, but I really don't think that is an adequate description. Ghosting is more about casting shadows. In the case of this device, it often appears that text is blurring when scrolling. This is something that is easily ignored in my case.
I have not noticed any lag or sound issues or random freezes. As far as screen sensitivity, I find it just about right for me. I also like the smaller capacitive buttons as I do not seem to have issues with hitting them by accident. This has been an issue with every smartphone I have owned with capacitive buttons. I am very happy that this phone is not exhibiting this issue.
I guess, like everything else in life, it is all relative. My hands are apparently large enough to handle this phone without feeling strained. I also get plenty of tactile feedback for my needs. I also LOVE the led. I don't understand why so many devices leave this out of the design.
Returning my ATT HTC Titan Today
Having read the above posts and others, also considering my previous experience with inconsistancies with HTC devices in the past, I am, regrettably, returning my beautiful HTC Titan to the store today.
Inconsistant out bound voice quality (ATT rep couldn't hear me cancelling my order). Fail
Throttling of 4G to below 14Mbs (was actually able to acheive almost 6Mbs in a rural part of Georgia, barely over 1.5 Mbs in metro Atlanta). Fail
Lack of storage. (thought I could live with this, can't!). Fail
Maybe I'll try the Focus S, any ideas?
Focus S doesn't have expandable storage either, though. If you're not in a rush, maybe wait for the nokia line of phones comes out? They have some with LTE in the works.
Back to ghosting: I think naplesbill is right, the people who are claiming to have 'ghosting' are using that term incorrectly. If anything, what we have here is a slightly delayed pixel response in the screen, or perhaps the rendering isn't quite smooth on the software side.
Here is an extreme case of ghosting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0esjdQ4RSuo
Titan battery life is much, much improved over my original Focus on Mango.
everything else about this phone is sooooo much improved over the Focus (a great phone too mind you) it cannot be explained. The OP's detailed info is useful but OCD-like and pretty worthless in regard to choosing a phone.
huge improvements include less accidental clicks with back/serach as well as general feel. The phone is large enough to use and hold properly and no "slipped out of my hand".
Get one.
nycny said:
Having read the above posts and others, also considering my previous experience with inconsistancies with HTC devices in the past, I am, regrettably, returning my beautiful HTC Titan to the store today.
Inconsistant out bound voice quality (ATT rep couldn't hear me cancelling my order). Fail
Throttling of 4G to below 14Mbs (was actually able to acheive almost 6Mbs in a rural part of Georgia, barely over 1.5 Mbs in metro Atlanta). Fail
Lack of storage. (thought I could live with this, can't!). Fail
Maybe I'll try the Focus S, any ideas?
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If you use the headphone to make the call, i am afraid that it has the bug that the phone will have broken noise through out the headphone and it may not even let you call anyone . I experienced that bug myself, that when i plugged in the headphone, it turn out to unable to call anyone or, even receiving a call.
link68759 said:
I'm sure I'll get used to the buttons, I have had trouble finding the volume keys but I like where they are, at the thumb.
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Ha! Even though I'm right-handed, I ALWAYS use phones with my left for whatever reason. It never occurred to me that the Samsung had it backwards and the Titan is better. Maybe it's time to change a long-standing habit!
link68759 said:
I hope that the rumors of the focus s having faster speeds are false...
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Me too. If confirmed, I'll definitely add it to my gripe list. However, WPCentral is reporting that it is false.
Strike_Eagle said:
If you use the headphone to make the call, i am afraid that it has the bug that the phone will have broken noise through out the headphone and it may not even let you call anyone . I experienced that bug myself, that when i plugged in the headphone, it turn out to unable to call anyone or, even receiving a call.
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No headset, just holding the phone normally. I never have a problem hearing. Several people said they couldn't hear me clearly or at all. And then I have had long conversations clearly. Seems if I move the phone ever so slightly toward or away from my chin the outgoing voice quality varies dramatically.
Those of you having issues with battery life, you probably should give your phone some time to get adjusted to its battery or if its been a while already, get a new one.
This phone is lasting so much longer than any other smartphone I've owned. I used to have to watch the battery meter throughout the day, but with the Titan, I no longer have to worry. I can easily get through a full day with moderate to heavy use and still have about 50% - 40% batter remaining depending on use at the end of the day. Its absolutely amazing.
This is with Facebook and Twitter syncing, with Hotmail and Gmail set to 'as items arrive', and with about 3 or 4 tiles/background tasks running throughout the day, on top of my regular use of the phone (checking Twitter, reading news feeds, reading e-mails, browsing the web, using Bing search, playing games, texting, etc.).
Of course I'm sure there are other minor variables involved that make differences for all of us, but this phone has had the best battery life of any smartphone I've owned, period.
Also, not having any of the other issues most other people are reporting. The buttons feel great to me, especially the camera button. I found the volume buttons on my HD7/S were too easy to press, so I was always changing volume, the Titan has a much better built volume rocker. The power button could protrude a bit more, but its still MUCH better than the HD7's power button.
I’m a few days in on mine, upgrading from the Focus and am a bit mixed. I love the size. Was worried about it being too big, but not at all its great.
But beyond that it’s a mixed bag. First and most disappointing is the screen, its big, but I like the way it looks much less than the Focus screen. It seems washed out or muddy looking and the blacks aren’t as dark. I think that really this is just saying that the focus screen is really very good.
Next is the responsiveness. When sliding my finger up and down on the home screen or anywhere else, there is a sponginess when starting to move or changing directions that’s odd to me. This may be there in the focus but is exaggerated in the Titan because of the larger size screen at the same res.
Like others I think the buttons are too hard to press. After a few days I still have to work at it more than I’d like.
And finally I wonder about durability and how this thing will hold up over time. I can’t tell you how much abuse my Focus went through and came through hardly phased. Once I dropped it off the top of a 6’ ladder on to concrete and another time it fell out of my truck and got kicked across concrete several feet among other abuse and the thing still looks virtually new. First day with the Titan and it got knocked off a table onto a concrete floor and the back and camera lens is completely scratched up. So day one this thing looks worse than my year old Focus.
Don’t get me wrong I do like it, I just don’t love it..yet. I think if I was coming from any other device I’d probably be raving about it.
(deleted - all gripes and grins now updated in first post)
willp2 said:
And finally I wonder about durability and how this thing will hold up over time. I can’t tell you how much abuse my Focus went through and came through hardly phased. Once I dropped it off the top of a 6’ ladder on to concrete and another time it fell out of my truck and got kicked across concrete several feet among other abuse and the thing still looks virtually new. First day with the Titan and it got knocked off a table onto a concrete floor and the back and camera lens is completely scratched up. So day one this thing looks worse than my year old Focus.
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Funny you should say this, as three or four times now I've panicked because I've felt my wedding ring scrape against the back panel. I turn it over, and it's just fine. However, this didn't happen to me at all with my Focus. It's like this device is stronger and tougher than my Focus, but strangely more delicate to minor damage, so I'm babying it.
My Focus also always looked new—it was amazing! It even looked new after I put it through the laundry and killed it…
willp2 said:
I think if I was coming from any other device I’d probably be raving about it.
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You took the words right out of my mouth!
drokkon said:
Funny you should say this, as three or four times now I've panicked because I've felt my wedding ring scrape against the back panel. I turn it over, and it's just fine. However, this didn't happen to me at all with my Focus. It's like this device is stronger and tougher than my Focus, but strangely more delicate to minor damage, so I'm babying it.
My Focus also always looked new—it was amazing! It even looked new after I put it through the laundry and killed it…
You took the words right out of my mouth!
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Try getting the invisible shield full body; I haven't installed mine yet, but I put it on everything I own. I expect it to make the phone easier to grip, too.
As for the screen vs the focus.... samsung screens are always better. No one should be surprised here...
link68759 said:
Try getting the invisible shield full body; I haven't installed mine yet, but I put it on everything I own. I expect it to make the phone easier to grip, too.
As for the screen vs the focus.... samsung screens are always better. No one should be surprised here...
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I first thought the same but after watching this,i changed my mind
http://www.wpcentral.com/screen-comparison-samsung-focus-s-and-htc-titan
Titan seems to produce more natural colors;whereas, focus s has blacker blacks. also focus s has a blue tint on it(at least according to this vid)
MaziarAmiri said:
I first thought the same but after watching this,i changed my mind
http://www.wpcentral.com/screen-comparison-samsung-focus-s-and-htc-titan
Titan seems to produce more natural colors;whereas, focus s has blacker blacks. also focus s has a blue tint on it(at least according to this vid)
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This video definitely played into my decision too. When I visited AT&T on the days leading up to my purchase, I checked out the Focus S and confirmed the blue tint. Unfortunately, they didn't have a Titan on-hand for me to take a look at. Since, that was really the last in a long list of little things pointing away from the Focus S and toward the Titan, I took the plunge and ordered the Titan sight-unseen on "Black Saturday."
It wasn't until I had the Titan side-by-side with my wife's Focus that I could really tell how less saturated the Titan's screen was, and I wrote in my first post:
Overall, the screen is considerably less saturated than my Focus. Not a deal killer, and I might grow to even prefer the more subtle colors, but I just wanted to point it out.
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I guess that's what others are calling more "natural" color. It's true, I do like it just as much as my old oversaturated Focus, and possibly a bit more!
one happy user
first time WP user.. and so far enjoying it..
only gripe I have is with speakerphone.. its way too weak compared to its regular speaker (one used for Music and ringer). Regular speaker goes up to 30, while speakerphone goes up tp 10, and even at 10 its very quiet. I also feel needing more volume for regular hands on calls as well.
Titan battery life is great, I am a heavy user through out the day.(Office job, a ton of down time.) My SGS2 ate threw battery like nothing(atleast 1-2 charges a work day) this thing I can get a full day with out a charge.
The ghosting is due to the VA panel used in an SLCD. Basically you are trading pixel response time for lower black levels and better viewing angles, compared to a standard TN panel. The slowest pixel transitions are black to white, so you'll see the most ghosting with black backgrounds. Grey to grey on the other hand is the fastest, with everything else in the middle.
"Some are saying the text "blurs," but I'm definitely thinking this is genuinely ghosting, as I'm seeing a white "trail" behind my text as I scroll."
The OS is most definitely not causing the blurring.