I know a lot of ppl have had trouble with their WinMo phone, bugginess and other factors but, after delving deep into alternative OSes for my HD2, I have come to the conclusion that WinMo is the best you can get for your HD2. Mine is supremely more useful than any of the Android ROMs I've used. And HTC-Sense really makes WinMo a top-notch OS. I am able with just a quick flick or tap get to whatever homescreen tab I need to show me all I need to know instantly. No need to scroll through homescreens or activate apps just to see at a glance what's happening. The Sense slider is brilliant.
The markets for WinMo aren't nearly as bad as some would have you believe. I find the WinMo Marketplace to be functionally as good as the Android market. That isn't saying it has all of the apps, it has plenty apps, though. The games lack severely, but even among those, there are gems to be had. But, after playing with the iOS market, Android market and even the WP7 market, WinMo market is just a pure pleasure.
There is so much WinMo can do that it is a shame it didn't receive the market share it deserves. I know it can be buggy, but with proper and simplistic maintenance, it can be a sweet ride. I never had any issues with the OEM ROM, but I'm using a custom ROM. As long as I keep it managed, it is a sweetheart. WinMo isn't the smoothest or fastest mobile OS around, but it is more than smooth and fast enough to be a pure pleasure. It, in fact, is smoother than a lot of Androids. Plus the GPS and Bing voice nav works better than Android. It boots quicker and locks quicker.
When you get tired of the battery drains and bugginess of Android, or the non-permanent nature of WP7 on HD2, come home to a nice WinMo w/HTC-Sense ROM.
I'm selling my Leo after using it for a week or so with Android. The buyer is getting it for his father because the screen is so large. I told him that I was very impressed with the Sense interface that HTC put on this phone and that his father should be able to use it easily and that with the replaced digitizer, it should do him well for a long time.
There's a lot to be said for software designed to work on the hardware. It's why, 14 months on, my Nexus One remains un-rooted. Why bother?
kampf said:
I'm selling my Leo after using it for a week or so with Android. The buyer is getting it for his father because the screen is so large. I told him that I was very impressed with the Sense interface that HTC put on this phone and that his father should be able to use it easily and that with the replaced digitizer, it should do him well for a long time.
There's a lot to be said for software designed to work on the hardware. It's why, 14 months on, my Nexus One remains un-rooted. Why bother?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's how I feel. As good as the Android devs did with their ROMs, they just didn't feel right. They were like a mask over the hardware and not the real deal. I suppose if the ROMs weren't so battery hungry or buggy, they would be acceptable. But, like you said, there's something to be said for a native ROM.
Try SPB MobileShell 3.5 and it's even better
First android rom I tried just had the android interface, and frankly it sucked balls, clunky with a horrible keyboard (like WP7's, it's the 21st century so why should i have to go to a different overlay just to get numbers?) and a really basic email client.
The only good things about it were kindle and the ability to access more than one exchange account (work and personal).
Then I found one of Dandiest's android builds, with sense, and it was actually usable, HTC have done a good job improving android with sense.
It's still not as good as WM with SPB MS (haven't tried version 5 for android yet), but it's bearable. Unfortunately as I need access to two exchange accounts I find myself using android most of the time, but I won't ditch WM, being able to dual boot gives me the best of both worlds, so when I need a decent navigation tool, I can flip to WM and run TomTom.
Wish someone would reengineer WM so that it can handle a second exchange account, then I'd go back to it pretty much all the time.
Related
How has your experience been with windows mobile 6.5?
I used shepards ROM at first and it would crash sometimes when I opened the text message application and would require a soft reset. Now I have been using RRE and it has tended to be much more stable. Though it still locks up sometimes when I open the text messaging program and sometimes pressing the home button or opening comm manager through the PTT button gets it out of it...its just weird. Anyone else getting a lot of lockups with winmo and if not what rom are you using.
Code:
/rant
But on a more general note. I have mixed feelings about WM 6.5. I think WM 6.5 is definitely an improvement but it doesn't really go far enough. I mean I like all the features that were added and I do like the home screen better than touchflo and the start menu is pretty nice...but really did microsoft put enough effort into it.
Titanium is definitely a little thin and the start menu really isn't a big change. The start menu really is just a zoomed in version of the old start menu. But I will give a point to the honeycomb. It does kind of help you use your fingers because of the spacing and I've never really hit a wrong icon. The scrolling works pretty well so no complaints there.
I also do like what they did with the text messaging app. But really all they did was a few simple tweaks. It just doesn't show message sent...which is simply awesome because I used to hate that. It also marks all the messages as read when you open someone, which it didn't always do in WM 6.1.
PIE (pocket ie) is definitely getting better..although its still on the bottom of my list on the browser scale.
Overall I just feel like microsoft needs to do more to compete. I mean the iPhone is taking over the winmo market hand over fist and blackberry is also hitting them hard. They can't just get away with small UI tweaks in order to 1UP the competition. They didn't change anything from the OS at all. Its still the same windows CE that everyone hates and is as unreliable as ever.
I mean seriously microsoft...try a little harder. Microsoft has more resources than any company, certainly more resources than Apple and RIM. Apple has been putting out some crazy innovative changes and has done some about faces with their OS.
I mean as much as I don't like apple and as much as I am just not a fan of Mac or the whole sandbox "you don't have to worry about anything" mentality of apple products, apple does know how to innovate. I mean look at all the crazy changes they made. When the iPhone came out they didn't have any apps and apple was vehemently against customizing the iPhone because it would break the "it just works" mantra and make it more winmo like. They took a semi-passive stance towards jailbreaking and denounced it but didn't bother with it too much. Than they out of the blue released an official SDK and the app store, although the app store is super limited and jailbreaking is still popular thats still quite an about face.
Now they are coming out with MMS, a NSFW category, copy paste etc.
All I'm saying is microsoft shouldn't be so afraid to start from scratch. Give us something crazy that is just baffling. Put some creativity into it and just go all out. I mean look at windows 7, although my feeling are mixed on that too at least they were creative. They grouped tabs, added an XP mode, jump lists, etc. Although I'm not saying windows 7 is better than mac or anything, the stuff they put in it wasn't just stuff other OSes were already doing like in vista.
I mean why can't microsoft just toss the old winmo in the trash and get out their whiteboard and think of new stuff. You know...not make winmo so terrible. It really is clunky, slow, and rather outdated.
I just hope windows mobile 7 is going to be as game changing as microsoft claims it will be although I have huge doubts (as does every tech news site). Just prove us wrong and be different and radical...and stop ripping off other people's ideas.
Code:
/endrant
I vote for option #3
I vote 1.
I totally agree with everything you said, but 6.5 is only a "wait for 7" thing. it even wasn't on the roadmap first.
all the changes and improvements you're asking for will come with WM7. So I'm fully happy with 6.5 which is a good transition OS.
the only drawback being it seems we'll have to wait some more for wm7.
not a fan at all really just because of some simple problems ive run into on about 4 different builds.
Feels like an iphone sometimes it decides im not allowed to copy paste text of messages etc WTF?
i cant reply to text messages from OS i need to make a new message and select the contact.
sending messages longer than 160 letters don't seem to work.
i think there were some more big ones.
once theres fixed ill LOVE it
I read an article that pretty much clarified how Microsoft rushed through the design of 6.5 and it’s apparent. 6.5 is decent but the upgrade wasn’t significant enough to stir me away from TF3D2. I am currently using Energy Rom 3.0 and never use the Titanium home screen. I would more inclined to use Titanium if there was an option to maintain the classical start menu drop down but I guess I have to adapt to change. Or do I?
After waiting 3 months for my warranty claim I flash to Proven 4.2 with 6.5 and I can just say
1. ROM is faster then Stock 6.1 with TF and after tweaks and even Proven 2.4 version.
I like the home screen but miss some of the features of TF like Sound Profiles. Which I used constantlly. Finger control is great and I use my stylus less now almost never.
Hates:
When you close and application it always goes back to the home screen rather then the start screen you were in. This is painful like I pressed the wrong icon and I just want the app to close and go back one level not to the home screen.
Loving the plugins that are becomming available just makes the touch PRo easier to use.
I absolutely love it.
aussieak said:
After waiting 3 months for my warranty claim I flash to Proven 4.2 with 6.5 and I can just say
1. ROM is faster then Stock 6.1 with TF and after tweaks and even Proven 2.4 version.
I like the home screen but miss some of the features of TF like Sound Profiles. Which I used constantlly. Finger control is great and I use my stylus less now almost never.
Hates:
When you close and application it always goes back to the home screen rather then the start screen you were in. This is painful like I pressed the wrong icon and I just want the app to close and go back one level not to the home screen.
Loving the plugins that are becomming available just makes the touch PRo easier to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well cool thing about the Titanium homescreen is that is supports plugins and can be completely customizable. Already there are Audio Profile pages, Analog Clocks, Twitter, facebook, etc.
I just find HTC TouchFlo 3D homescreen far too "clunky" and kills the overall speed of the phone just to use it. When I use that I find myself launching apps and starting tasks I didn't want to do.
I really like the WM6.5 upgrade. The biggest thing I wish they finished was an updated dialer and their 1990's SIP keyboard. I mean the keyboard was the original keyboard from their original versions. They shoulda even threw in an updated volume app while they were at it.
When everything is said and done, WM6.5 just allows for less reliance on 3rd party apps. With the speed boosts and awesome finger friendly upgrades... it is a welcome addition to my Fuze.
aceofspades1217 said:
...and stop ripping off other people's ideas.
Code:
/endrant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6.5 is just that. .5
They did enough to release a .5 and not another .1 in my opinion. And I want them to rip off other peoples ideas, why would you not? You said yourself apple and RIM are beating them [although I honestly doubt that, RIM is business oriented, apple is idiot oriented, and winmo is general user oriented] so why would you not want MS to pull together the best of the best and give it to us? 7 is going to be just as much of a landmark as desktop 7. I dont know if you used it, but the beta was leaps better than vista and ready to go 99% out of the box. I had a few software issues, but nothing deal-breaking. 7 is running on eeePCs, that says something for it. It is running better than XP on older machines, another good thing. 7 is just great. I have no doubts that winmo 7 will be great. They will take winmo 6, overhaul it, create something prettier, more efficient, and faster, and the betas are going to be damn near stable. I for one am looking forward to MS version of the app store which will be part of 7.
Winmo still holds the market, like I said above:
RIM - business users
Apple - idiots
winmo - General users.....IE----the most
votum said:
6.5 is just that. .5
They did enough to release a .5 and not another .1 in my opinion. And I want them to rip off other peoples ideas, why would you not? You said yourself apple and RIM are beating them [although I honestly doubt that, RIM is business oriented, apple is idiot oriented, and winmo is general user oriented] so why would you not want MS to pull together the best of the best and give it to us? 7 is going to be just as much of a landmark as desktop 7. I dont know if you used it, but the beta was leaps better than vista and ready to go 99% out of the box. I had a few software issues, but nothing deal-breaking. 7 is running on eeePCs, that says something for it. It is running better than XP on older machines, another good thing. 7 is just great. I have no doubts that winmo 7 will be great. They will take winmo 6, overhaul it, create something prettier, more efficient, and faster, and the betas are going to be damn near stable. I for one am looking forward to MS version of the app store which will be part of 7.
Winmo still holds the market, like I said above:
RIM - business users
Apple - idiots
winmo - General users.....IE----the most
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well nothing wrong with ripping off of other people's ideas a little bit...after all thats convergent evolution. You aren't going to say a dolphin is bad because it ripped off a fish's idea.
But ripping off other people's ideas is no replacement for innovation. If microsoft stays one step behind apple and RIM then winmo will always be an outdated OS. And you can't just mash a bunch of random ideas and hope it sticks. Thats what vista was...it was ideas mashed up from Linux and Mac and it turned out to be even worse.
And Apple and RIM are taking over winmo marketshare hand over fist...when will HTC and microsoft put out some damn conductive screen phones...i mean...seriously!
absolutely hated it at first because it made me feel like i was using an htc s621, not to say that is a bad device or anything but the feel is too basic.
However, chefs started taking a liking towards it and I personally cannot make a rom that is satisfying enough to keep it on my device more than a few hours. Therefore, considering the chefs started utilizing it more in their builds, developers began creating programs and widgets for it. Overall, like m2d and tf3d, I hated both of them at first (so used to the simplicity of HTC Home) but eventually you start to notice creative people on XDA changing a mediocre OS into a work of art.
So cheers
EDIT: But then again, this poll/thread should not even be in the Rom development section.
Luvin 6.5
I'm one, of what seems to be a minority of people that really just doesn't like TF3D.
My personal opinion is that TF3D is gimmicky, lacks consistency & sucks when it comes to flexibility - unless you're willing to jump in and start hacking away (not something the average person wants to do).
The new interface in 6.5 is more consistent (menus, colors, tabs ...) and is pretty easy to plug Titanium apps into. I'm really luvin what feels to be the UI we should have gotten in the 1st place. A classic example of 'different tastes for different people'.
Can't wait for WM7
---Rob
Well TF3D2 did have me, because honestly WMP sucks when trying to use it without a stylus, plus its a gigantic memory hog. Where the media player in TF3D was very finger friendly and didnt use not very much ram at all.
However, I discovered pocket player 4 and lets just say that I dont use TF3d anymore and I throughly enjoy chrome.
Honestly if I wanted microsoft to fix anything it would be WMP, they either need to seriously update and optimize it or replace it with a optimized finger friendly zune application "which would fit right in with chrome imo".
Then again if chrome had a plugin that had basic swip controls "play, next song, previous, past, ect" then had a finger friendly media library in the softkey, they could even use the htc media manager to play it. Basically this would be porting the TF3D music tab to chrome....
crlowryjr said:
I'm one, of what seems to be a minority of people that really just doesn't like TF3D.
My personal opinion is that TF3D is gimmicky, lacks consistency & sucks when it comes to flexibility - unless you're willing to jump in and start hacking away (not something the average person wants to do).
The new interface in 6.5 is more consistent (menus, colors, tabs ...) and is pretty easy to plug Titanium apps into. I'm really luvin what feels to be the UI we should have gotten in the 1st place. A classic example of 'different tastes for different people'.
Can't wait for WM7
---Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yah you and me both. TF3D also takes up an ass load of memory and sucks down battery like a mofo.
Much improved for me on my Fuze. 6.1 was pretty good, I had to tweak the video, interface etc to get the "snap" out of it, but 6.5 out of the box (RRE's 6.5), faster than 6.1. After a couple minor tweaks, faster than that!
Chrome taking a little getting use to because i used TF3D for over a year, but,
chrome is a little nicer, less closing windows after you get done doing something.
aceofspades1217 said:
yah you and me both. TF3D also takes up an ass load of memory and sucks down battery like a mofo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right there with you
tf3d was and still is the first thing i disable whenever i flash a new rom
my first experience with it lasted for 10 mins and it didn't impress me with it's sluggish speed
ms today screen ftw!
hahaha
Offcourse its better, who said its not. Moreover yes we do like to have always more no matter even if they are going to release WM9
But I am worried they being inefficient in power consumption.
I have definitely enjoyed 6.5 over 6.1 by a long shot. I agree with most people that MS still has a ways to go though, and hopefully will get close with windows mobile 7. 6.5 was a good hold over until that point though. I do hope that MS gets very creative with 7 because I am tired of incremental updates when you can almost taste how good your Windows phone could be. I will be a windows phone user for life because I don't fall for gimmicks from Apple, and obviously with this great community there will be plenty of innovation to come.
I don't like it at all. WM 6.5 just seems like it should be made for a smart phones.
really now , why even post this when 6.5 is not officially released lol . we don even know what the real 6.5 is like !
anyways i voted for the first option because if you try NRG's roms then youd see what a rom is supposed to be like . ive not had one of these random text message problems or soft reseting problems or hard reseting problems atall . maybe you should widen your search of which cabs are good .
Greets to all fellow XDA membs!
Ill make it sweet n short:
Been a diehard Winmo user for many years, winmo has given me the love we all know about (don't regret a second of it) but.... some fukr stole my fuze and im in the market for a new phone, ive been eyeballin the TP2, butttttt, since i have switched to Ubuntu for quite some time now, i said to myself maybe thats the same path I should take on my mobile devices.
Sooo, what do you dislike or like about the Hero? is it worth ditchin the good ol Winmo for some Android? Do i get any "benefit" by runnin linux on pc and on my phone? How do prior Winmo users feel about the switch?
-How about the on screen keyboard? Multitouch makes a big diff, I mean typing a sorto long email?
Thanks all for the tips, I trust my fellow XDA members givin me a good birds eye view.
I guess we can turn this into "mini" reviews.
I've just switched from a Touch HD to a Hero. So far I'm very impressed with the Hero. Speed of screen switching is good and somehow I feel more "connected" with the Hero. I have no problems updating Facebook or my blog from the phone. Keyboard is very responsive (I was using Zoomboard on the HD) and I've only once found myself trying to get a stylus out (non-existent on the Hero).
I'd prefer a better calendar app for the Hero, the in built one is a bit limited. Pocket Informant for Android would be good.
All in all I can say it's been a very positive experience moving across though.
M
After using WM for some years I don't regret using a Hero now.
It's fantastic.
Being a Ubuntu/Linux user for some years now I decided I wanted a Linux-based smartphone.
Just do it and you won't regret it.
Coool, thanks for the replys., I think im takin the Dip! 2 Android
Any one else?
Coming from a Htc diamond (1) I can only say buy the hero
It works a lot quicker the sense ui is brilliant (even the normal android screen is far more usefull than winmo's ''today''screen)
I can't say I miss any programs I ran on winmo, almost all popular programs have android alternatives in the market.
For example Meebo IM instead of messenger live... works a lot better my contacts don't even notice I'm online on my hero instead of my pc.
Also typing on a touch phone without a stylus has never been so easy before (have to admit never had something else other than winmo devices not naming the Ithingy)
I don't have any regrets the only thing I miss a bit is the bluetooth support. But hopefully that will be fixed in future android/rom updates.
the only real downside but's a htc thing I think, is the camera has no flash therefor almost useless in situations with bad lighting. But I don't care so much for that.
Have a very nice digital slr wich makes perfect pictures ^^
Androidod
It blows WinMo away I was forever messing with Windows Mobile and it just seemed an OS that promised the world but delivered very little.
I got the T Mobile G2 and I am well hooked. my only 2 gripes with it are.
1) handling long SMS's it seems to only get the first part of long texts and i dont get the rest. With other phones its receives 2 messages and linked them.
2) Good apps are a bit thin on the ground when you compare with IPhone apps. They have Monkey Island Special Edition, Madden to name but 2 big name titles. We need more support for the good of the device after sales.
Other than that its the nuts!
Just watched a review on the HTC evo4G and was impressed but unsure if I am an Android man???? what are your thoughts?
Evo4G vs HD2
antilagman said:
Just watched a review on the HTC evo4G and was impressed but unsure if I am an Android man???? what are your thoughts?
Evo4G vs HD2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never tried Android, but if that phone wasn't CDMA I'd probably give it a go.
The EVO is definitely a device I'd love to have a go with. I enjoy using my HD2 but the EVO definitely has a few features i'd be interested in, mainly the Android OS, but also the better camera and the HDMI out.
HDMI-out is the killer feature I miss on the HD2 (I'm not even sure I would use it much, but I love convergence me )
I love the slimness of HD2 so I'm not sure yet.
Both my daughter and wife have the Evo. It is a fantastic phone. I find myself playing with it over my HD2 frequently. My HD2s biggest advantage is Outlook/Exchange. Android has some pretty good Exchange integration, but not as good as WinMo.
Turning on 4G kills the battery pretty quick. The battery cover is pretty cheesey compared to the HD2's. Android market beats Microsoft's marketplace handily.
I've been playing around with the HTC Desire, which also has Adroid on it and I was amazed by it's responsiveness. In other words, it's fast!
As you can see in the review, browsing the internet on the HD2 (this is probably a opera mobile browser thing) is annoying, as you have to pan and zoom in/out all the time; the browser adjusts pages for you, but not always in a convenient way.
The Android market is huge, and mostly free. But that doesn't get me enthousiastic, as I have found all my application for WinMo here on XDA (you gotta love this site, big thanks for all the developers!).
Google Maps Turn by Turn navigation isn't available for WinMo (that's correct right?) yet. I'd really love to have that feature on my HD2.
I'd also like to have the one button press to get an overview of all the home-tabs as in Android on my HD2, but maybe this is already developed or being developed.
So, for me, in the end, I'll stay with my HD2 for a while (at least 10 months as my contract will then be renewed (yay for "free" phones ) Maybe by then Android will have left WinMo even further behind.
Seemless outlook syncing, tomtom and garmin keep me with windows mobile...
Never been tempted to android or iphone...
Its that simple for me...
My mate's trading in his hero for a desire... I'll grab it, play with it for a few minutes and give it back and say "yeah, nice...", then walk away thanking God I have my HD2...
Android and iphone interfaces may be smoother, but that's not the phone experience I'm worried about...
I'll stick with WM...
argentocruz said:
My mate's trading in his hero for a desire... I'll grab it, play with it for a few minutes and give it back and say "yeah, nice...", then walk away thanking God I have my HD2...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
x2.
My girlfriend has an iphone4, and a coworker of mine has the evo4g, and I really can't see myself using either of those phones on a daily basis. I like the minimalistic of cooking my own ROM, I like the idea of using whatever software I want, when I want, without having to fork over $2-3 dollars for it. Conversely, I want to be able to manage everything manually on my phone. I want to have the ability to establish where the cache is going to be, I want to be able to tweak and "mod" the behavior of the program im running. I don't want the OS to dictate that.
Basically it comes down to functionality and flexibility, and with Cookies Home Tab, no two HD2s are alike...which makes the phone that much more unique.
On the other hand, you could argue that the apps are what make the phone, but honestly, I dont need to further clutter my phone with countless sports score apps, food apps, or any of that junk. Everything basic amenities that a smart phone need are already available on the HD2/windows mobile.
i jumped from sprint to t-mobile after the evo was already out. I'm not interested in android at this time and I'm pretty sure with nrgz28's cht ROM, it's every bit as smooth as the iphone4 and evo.
What's sad about sprint for me was the data speeds on sprint (3g). I was getting only 500-700kbps. I'm getting 2000-3000 kbps on t-mobile on hspa with hspa+ rolling out this month (according to my local t-mobile). So my speeds right now are similar or close to sprint 4g, then will blow right past them very soon.
Honestly, I don't get the jump to android, especially an htc device. Sense is very similar on both and you hardly dig into winmo anymore anyways.
I think that if you have 4g in your area, go for the evo if you are looking for something different, but if not, and your t-mobile coverage is good, you might as well wait at least till this fall and see what is coming out (like all the galaxy s and galaxy s pros). Not to mention there is some sweet spec'd wp7 coming down the pipe (1.5 ghz snap dragon anyone???).
lude219 said:
x2.
My girlfriend has an iphone4, and a coworker of mine has the evo4g, and I really can't see myself using either of those phones on a daily basis. I like the minimalistic of cooking my own ROM, I like the idea of using whatever software I want, when I want, without having to fork over $2-3 dollars for it. Conversely, I want to be able to manage everything manually on my phone. I want to have the ability to establish where the cache is going to be, I want to be able to tweak and "mod" the behavior of the program im running. I don't want the OS to dictate that.
Basically it comes down to functionality and flexibility, and with Cookies Home Tab, no two HD2s are alike...which makes the phone that much more unique.
On the other hand, you could argue that the apps are what make the phone, but honestly, I dont need to further clutter my phone with countless sports score apps, food apps, or any of that junk. Everything basic amenities that a smart phone need are already available on the HD2/windows mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
customizabilty FTW! thats why i stick with winmo too. i can make my phone completely my own.
im sick of the whole "app store" argument too. iphone & android have oh so many apps... most of which are stupid games & frivolous bull****. winmo has as many apps as they do, theyre just not all organized in the app store yet. most of them are actually useful too. MS only recently made an app store cause googling for the app they want is too much work for most people & they were losing out to the competition.
why would you go from hd2 to evo when hd2 can run android too?
i'll stick to a Windoes mobile phone no matter what....dunno why, s'pose it's like a PC....no way would i change to apple (IMHO) s**T like that.
prob change my phone in 3 months, maybe even a year, but whatever it will be, it'll definitely be a windows operating system.
Matt
And I think I like windows better, just because I can't seem to customize the screen on the andriod mode and it seems very limited ....what is the best Andriod ROM out there that is like a a full version of the andriod OS?
Same here, I only just started using Android last week. At first it was hard to get exactly what I wanted in the OS, but then I found out that if you press the Windows hardware key on the HD2, that brings up a settings menu for things.
I'm currently using the "Mdeejay eVo Sense v. 2.3 rEVOlution" ROM.
FenderGuy said:
And I think I like windows better, just because I can't seem to customize the screen on the andriod mode and it seems very limited ....what is the best Andriod ROM out there that is like a a full version of the andriod OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've played around with it for a while now and it has pros and cons. The ROM below works well. The home screen can add widgets. My preference is still for WinMo.
Hate to say it, but I'm still a huge fan of WM as well. Even after testing out many solid Android 2.2+ Nexus, EVO Sense, and Desire Sense builds on the HD2, and using iPhones for years, WM is still better for my daily needs in regard to getting work and basic operations done. Plus, the WM combination of voice command and bluetooth for hands free use still outperforms Android by magnitudes here. Moreover, I still prefer Core Player, Pocket Player, NanoGroove, Scilors Groove, MS Office & Exchange, ThumbCal, Mobile Invoice, iGuidance, iGo, Elecont Weather, etc..., as well as customized Sense with CHT over any Android or iPhone counterparts or equivalents at this time. That said, there are parts of Android I like much more, including the market, speech to text, live wallpapers, many of the 100,000 apps and games, lol..., as well as the ever increasing kernel development. Guess it really comes down to what apps and operations you use the most and are most comfortable with. For work and basic stuff, it's all WM here. For fun it's trying out new Android builds, launchers, themes, as well as testing new apps, and gaming with Android and iOS, lol...
As far as good builds of Android for the HD2, there are many, including NexusHD2 v1.5 by tytung (my favorite at this time), HyperDroid and HyperDroid Sense by pongster, Mdeejay's EVO and Desire Sense builds, plus lots of other excellent builds that I'm forgetting at the moment. If you use Exceller's Multiple Build Loader, you can easily switch and test out as many as you can fit on your memory card at once.
Best to all,
R
I'm using the core series V4 which has the Andriod boot built into the rom, its really cool but not all andriod roms seem to work with it. I wonder why?
I've really grown to love android over the last few months, but I still don't want to completely replace winmo. Android has a lot of apps and is really user friendly, but winmo is still way more customizable and seems to have more functional, better apps... even though there are less to choose from. 95% of android apps are useless and pointless.
I like android and winmo both pretty equally right now. I'm sure my next phone will be android as winmo isn't being actively developed for anymore like android is.... but for now I can have both OS's on my phone, which is perfect for me.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
First smartphone was some low-end Android phone on a prepaid carrier, and even though it ran like crap, I've loved Android since. I took a shot with Windows Phone by buying a Dell Venue Pro, but the main reason I chose it (hardware keyboard) turned out to be a bit disappointing, and I kinda came with a negative attitude toward the OS, and eventually returned it. Plus, it was last-gen specs and it had its share of issues, so I probably wouldn't have kept it regardless.
Anyway, I've really been considering getting an HTC Radar on T-Mobile US, because I love everything about the phone (size, design, cameras, etc.)...but I need to be sold on Windows Phone and its functions/capabilities. I'm not too big on customization with Android (single homescreen with no widgets), and most apps I could live without on a daily basis (the few apps like Square I could plan in advance for and use an Android phone). I did like how smooth it was overall, but it seemed like a lot of basic phone/messaging/internet options were either hidden in weird places or non-existent (like manually refreshing certain stuff). And I did update the Dell to Mango, so I don't need to be told about the benefits, unless some of them apply only to the 2nd-gen WP devices like the Radar.
And in this case, I'd either get a Radar and then a Flyer so I can keep Android (and still use it as a phone if necessary), or just the new One S and no tablet.
First of all, everything is about your priorities and preferences. Mobile devices are a personal decision because there is always a tradeoff between cost, power, size, simplicity, customization, prior experience, and battery life. I can only tell you what works for me, then you can evaluate and come to your own decision.
In my signature you can see the devices that I have used, so I have some experience on both the Android and Windows Phone side. Last year I bounced back and forth between the two, but came down on the firmly on the Windows side for one major reason:
Simplicity.
It takes me two or three days to get an Android phone into a usable state so I have my major apps front and center, and eliminate as much "junk" as possible. (Of course, one man's junk is another man's favorite app.)
Windows Phone has most of what I need already set up once I've loaded my Google, Live, Exchange, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. As a matter of fact, give me the standard Microsoft apps, plus a Google Voice client, and I can do just about everything I need to do.
Also, I find the Live Tiles and Hubs very useful in pulling information together from multiple sources. The clean, bold, unified design of the OS is icing on the cake.
After using Windows Phone, Android looks like a mish-mash of random interfaces and cluttered design.
But that's just me.
I've got a Radar on T-Mobile and a Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T. One of them has to go this week. The Lumia is about the most beautiful phone I've ever used and the AT&T LTE is strong and fast where I live. On the other hand, the Radar feels perfect in the hand, and T-Mobile's HSPA+ is fast enough. (But the coverage doesn't stretch out into the suburbs where I sometimes go.)
If you like Windows Phone and are a T-Mobile customer, the Radar is a quality choice. Also take a look at the Nokia 710. Some people like that handset better.
That's my opinion, for what it's worth. Best of luck!
Thanks for the quick reply. I do agree that Windows Phone is much simpler, and that definitely does appeal to me. I looked around and saw that it's possible to get OEM apps like the Nokia-specific apps without much work, that's nice. It's also nice that there might be a ROM for the Radar sometime soon.
However, I'm a bit confused when it comes to side-loading apps and unlocking and whatnot. I read something about Chevron tokens, and that they're out of stock, but then the official site charges $9 to unlock - what exactly does that do? And then in another thread I read something about being able to unlock it for free through a student DreamSpark account...is there a simple explanation about unlocking and ways to do it?
Anyway, I might be a little more sold on it as a result...if I can get one for a good price, I might jump on it soon.
EDIT: Also, since I saw you had a Nokia N8...where does Symbian fall into any of this - would it be something you'd ever consider going back to? I haven't had the chance to experience it, and have no idea how it compares to Android or WP7.5
magus57 said:
I'd either get a Radar and then a Flyer so I can keep Android (and still use it as a phone if necessary), or just the new One S and no tablet.
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Ive also had experience of both and getting a tablet is a sensible thing.. I have a Galaxy 5 Wifi for my media player and now a Radar for my Phone.
As has been mentioned here.. the best thing is simplicity, unfortunately, Android is being hammered at us from every angle from the One X to the Sensation XE, the Galaxy S2 and now 3 to the Note and sadly, WP7 seems to be getting left behind.
This year we're now seeing HTC and Nokia battle it out, but ultimately.. its down to you.. My advice..
Dont follow the Advertising and Media circus.. it'll drive you mad and no matter what you buy, theres always something new coming out.. so is it Android, with its many apps and open source marketplace.. which can result in some rubbish apps or WP7 for simplicity and ease of use, but without the customisation, just add ons.
Bear in mind, at the end of the day.. they are just phones.. even though the adverts will tell you different. A ONE X is just a faster Desire.. but its still a phone. I find WP7 call quality is much better than my old Wildfire S and under Mango theres alot more to work with.
Good luck
magus57 said:
...However, I'm a bit confused when it comes to side-loading apps and unlocking and whatnot. I read something about Chevron tokens, and that they're out of stock.. Also, since I saw you had a Nokia N8...where does Symbian fall into any of this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If side-loading apps is your goal, WP7 is not the best platform. The Chevron unlocker was available to aid developers of the first edition of Windows Phone. But it was never updated for later versions, and after Mango it is useless. So there is no easy way to open up the platform, although some have managed it on a phone by phone basis. But, really, Android is so much more open in that respect that I would stay in that environment if hacking is your goal.
As for Nokia, they consistently make the best phones. The N8 is still unsurpassed as a camera phone. No one has even attempted to put that large a sensor in any smartphone since. It will only be bested this month when Nokia releases the 808 PureView running Symbian. They are ahead of the competition in build quality and their radios usually pulll in better reception that others.
Their move into Windows phone looks very strong, and they have only been making them for six months. It will be interesting to see how that lineup grows.
The Symbian OS, however, gets mixed reviews. Back in the days of Windows Mobile, it was a very strong competitor. In a post-iPhone world, however, it cannot match the mobile operating systems that have been conceived from the ground up for touch navigation. Although they have made huge advancements, including touch-enabling the whole OS, it will always feel a bit more like a super-advanced feature phone OS when compared to Android, iOS, WM7, and WebOS.
Even so , I would say that the combination of Nokia hardware and Symbian represents the best value for money of any phobne / OS combination. For example, all of these phones can upgrade to the just released Symbian Belle update and are faster and have more features than they did when they were originally released:
N8 - Feels incredible in the hand and even more distingushed from the competition today. $340
E7 - The business phone; a tilt-up touchscreen with a great slide out keyboard. $380
C6 - essentially a thinner, lighter version of the N8, minus the super large camera sensor. $215
The problem for most Americans is that they have never used a Symbian phone before, so the whole feel of the OS is odd.
I think Nokia made the right decision moving to WP7, although Symbian will remain a strong platform for them, especially in new developing markets.