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!
After doing alot of reading and research, I finally decided to purchase this tablet. Without having any stores locally to see it, I had to rely on YouTube videos. Before even trying the tablet, I immediately installed the Vegan gingerbread rom. I can see why a lot of people like it. My problem is, none of the YouTube videos really show how bad the screen really is. It is way worse than even the zenithink that I had prior to this.
My question is, are there any tweaks that I can do to just try to improve it a little bit? Also, are there any Roms that will improve it a little bit? I already know the trick of using it upside down! That definitely helps but I really feel that there is something else going on as the screen is really bad!
cmdauria said:
I really feel that there is something else going on as the screen is really bad!
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Nope - it really sucks that bad. Don't use it in portrait mode. Tilting it *slightly* off dead center (up or down) is best - in other words, as if it were a screen on a netbook. Which it is. Which you never look at dead on at 90 degrees. Also, try playing with backlight settings... more, less, something may help a little.
Otherwise, it is what it is. Using it in a dark room helps too
Zenonia 4 is out with much improved graphics from 1-3
Its free and plays better then previous ones
http://goo.gl/wwJaV
game isnt the cause for the reboot, its thanks to the .14 firmware
idunno, gameplay is kind of annoying for me, ranged attacks mean you have to be lined up with the mob your attacking... items that fall on the ground dissapear too soon IMO, overall i dont think im going to be putting a lot of time into this game.
I played the 2nd one way back when I had a crappy phone with a small screen and I wished I had a better device. I was looking forward to playing this new one on the Prime, so I checked it out. First time I died I saw the screen where you can either lose gold, xp, equipment durability to revive or pay for some cash item...
NOPE.
uninstalled.
Great graphics and the gameplay speed is awesome, but the battle controls are annoying. I keep accidentally hitting the home icon trying to run downwards.
BUYMECAR said:
Great graphics and the gameplay speed is awesome, but the battle controls are annoying. I keep accidentally hitting the home icon trying to run downwards.
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That happens to me on almost any game with fixed controls
zurui said:
I played the 2nd one way back when I had a crappy phone with a small screen and I wished I had a better device. I was looking forward to playing this new one on the Prime, so I checked it out. First time I died I saw the screen where you can either lose gold, xp, equipment durability to revive or pay for some cash item...
NOPE.
uninstalled.
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I've been playing it on my DX for convenience. The death system is the same as in Zenonia 3, and it isn't a huge problem, although it's a bit annoying. You can get by without paying anything for the game, but I ended up putting a bit down to make my bags bigger. Worthwhile in my mind for a well made game I"ll probably replay at some point.
anyone else having any issues with zombie smash? i searched and couldn't find anything. Running the latest CM9 nightly and i love the game but i think it thinks that my touchpad has a 7" screen. all the graphics for the menus are lower/smaller than they should be and when i'm playing the actual game the zombies are way lower than their shadows if that makes any sense. any way to fix this?
Dr. Light said:
anyone else having any issues with zombie smash? i searched and couldn't find anything. Running the latest CM9 nightly and i love the game but i think it thinks that my touchpad has a 7" screen. all the graphics for the menus are lower/smaller than they should be and when i'm playing the actual game the zombies are way lower than their shadows if that makes any sense. any way to fix this?
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I had the exact same problem and then figured out by accident that if I tilt my tablet until the screen flips upside down once the level begins and then back again, it'll play just fine. Just a strange glitch, I guess.
I also had the same problem and the screen tilt kind of worked but then all of the zombies were off screen and all I could see were there shadows. I haven't found a solution, I liked this game on my phone and kind of wanted to play it on a larger screen. I submitted a bug report but haven't seen any news of it being fixed.
So I tried playing Cytus (a rhythm game) on my ZU while putting it on table and realized I miss a lot during those notes where I have to press them at the same time. It felt better when I held it on my hand instead but I still have some missing notes
Now I bring two phones out so that I could play the game... kinda disappointed in ZU.
anyone else have this problem/ can test it out for me?
Looked around youtube and google for gaming reviews but couldn't find any review on Z Ultra playing rhythm game...
Install Display Tester and use the "Multi-touch counter". It should register 10 fingers, like mine does. Also, i installed Real Drum, and i hit that set like a mad man, and it didn't drop a single beat.
Tried Display tester, it did registered 10 fingers. Went to try real drum, it seems alright when I spammed it randomly, but when I tried to tap two of them together repetitively (like the crash and ride) , one of them tends to miss it once in a while.
Again, I tried it while my ZU is on a table and there's the missing problem, but doesn't seem to have any problem while holding it in my hands.