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Thread: Any HTC phone users?

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    Registered User emmylou25's Avatar
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    Any HTC phone users?

    Fancy a phone upgrade, and while I'd love to be able to justify increasing my monthly line rental a ridiculous amount to get an iphone, I've been looking into the HTC Desire as i can get a much better deal. A colleague also mentioned this one unprompted, and the online user reviews look quite good (apart from the battery which seems to also be an issue on the iphone).

    Do any of you use this phone or have experience of HTC and what are your thoughts - good or bad? Haven't had a chance to go and play them in store yet, but any information before I go and get the sales patter would be gratefully received.

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    As most will tell you, I think the iPhone sucks. Was ok in 2007 when it came out,but hasn't changed in that time and has bee(ish)n overtaken by phones like the Desire.

    I have had a play with a few HTCs recently and the Desire is the best of them. Im looking at getting one soon

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    I have the Nokia n900. Fantastic hardware, but not a mass-market phone and I recommend against it, purely on software grounds.

    Some of the new Android phones are looking very nice. The Desire is already being overtaken so it's down to budget and whether you're willing to wait a few weeks for 'the next great phone'.

    My HTC Android phone was a nice bit of kit, but battery life was diabolical. Unsure whether that was Android 1.0 or the device itself, so research the Desire's battery life before buying, but otherwise the OS is excellent, the app support superb and the choice a good one.

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    I can vouch for the HTC having a sucky battery life - ill assume all of them and not just the one my friend has. Android is very nice though. I got an LG Viewty Smart - which has a great camera (8mp and good flash) and the ability to play divx video (which is fairly standard) - so very good for me - but those are the only 2 things that are "better" than the android HTC i tried imo. The interface compared to an android phone = pretty horrendous, not to mention slow.

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    I got the Desire not long after it came out. It rocks. It's fast, very slick and easy to use.

    Battery life is an issue with all smartphones. What it generally boils down to is that is you spend a lot of time doing stuff that drains the battery, the battery drains fast. The worst culprits are background processes that access the radio.

    I'd worry less about it being obsolete. The hardware is good and will survive for the life of your contract. What's more important is the software (Google have been showing off Android 2.2 in the last few days - it is awesome). If you go for a Nexus One (essentially the same hardware), you get the upgrades before anyone else. But HTC should be fairly close behind that.

    If you need a phone now, then the Desire's the best option out there. In a few months, the game will change again.

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    You might find this usefull if you are getting a HTC. http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Featur...tc-desire.aspx

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Got an HTC Desire a couple of weeks ago, replacing a Nokia 6220 Classic, which had lots of toys (and also made phone calls on the side).

    First touch-screen I've had, and have nothing but praise (reluctant to use the word 'awesome' but it's close enough to magic).

    Simply walks all over the 6220 for ease of use, speed, etc, etc.

    Yes, battery life is a little short (seems to last about a day, unless I remember to close down apps which I'm not actually using), but there's a great little app called Advanced Task Killer which does all that with one click (you still have to remember that one click, though )

    I know it'll be obsolete tomorrow, but I'm struggling to think of something this phone doesn't do which I might conceivably have a use for - I have now become the limiting factor, not the machine.
    £30/month from O2, 300 mins, unlimited text, data & wifi, plus £50 for the phone (oh yes, and I got £77 trade-in on the 6220 too)

    One happy bunny

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Lovely thanks guys. Seems to be reiterating a lot of what the reviews have said.

    Will have a play in store and see what deal I can get (but also bear in mind what might be coming out soon). Great thing is there's fab cashback deals out there as well, so get the bonus of some extra money that I can offset vs the cost overall.

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    As most will tell you, I think the iPhone sucks. Was ok in 2007 when it came out,but hasn't changed in that time and has bee(ish)n overtaken by phones like the Desire

    am not an Apple fanboy like some on this forum. I used an HTC TYTN II for many years and it was a great piece of equipment.. pity it had lousy windows mobile installed on it.

    I'm waiting to hear about the "soon to be announced" iPhone 4G. but to be honest, unless it's something special there's a strong possibility I'll be switching to an Android device soon. I don't like having to hack the iPhone just to plug some feature holes and make it truly useful. I've also had my fill of O2 customer service and the general O2 Network as a whole.

    Of course, I'm also lazy. and if I get a decent new iPhone from O2 I'll probably stay.. not because I have any brand loyalty to Apple or O2.. but changing my numbers, getting a new account, finding the "must have killer apps" for a new os etc etc.. I'll probably just grin and bare it.. and hack the 4G as soon as one is released.

    at the moment it's 50/50 ..

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    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Anyone got any comment on the Upcoming Nexus one?

    am getting really annoyed with both O2 and Apple.. and quite fancy telling both where to shove their upgrades. I know the Nexus one is only going to be on Vodaphone network is that correct?

    I'm sitting here with a pile of T-Mobile, Carphone warehouse, Vodaphone, Orange, etc etc etc brochures looking at their current offers. Have to say there's a bewildering array (even for a geek like me) of options.

    I'd like a big colour screen, 3G , Wifi, and GPS. Camera is handy but can take it or leave it, must be able to play mp3s and therefore have a decent (and/or upgradable) storage capacity.

    SO far it seems the Nexus one is ticking all the boxes. Anyone got any comment ??

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    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf View Post
    Anyone got any comment on the Upcoming Nexus one?
    obviously it was upcoming quicker than I realised !!

    http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobi...ogle-nexus-one



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    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf View Post
    obviously it was upcoming quicker than I realised !!
    http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobi...ogle-nexus-one
    ok REALLY loosing my Geekcred now !!

    is the Desire the new & improved version of the Nexus one?

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf View Post
    ok REALLY loosing my Geekcred now !!

    is the Desire the new & improved version of the Nexus one?
    Almost. Hardware-wise, they're almost identical. The differences are trivial: the Desire has an optical trackball, instead of a physical one; the Desire has physical buttons instead of embedded touch buttons; the Desire has a little extra memory (600 vs 500 MB). Personally, I think the Desire is a little better, but not enough to recommend against the Nexus One.

    The major difference is software. The Desire has the HTC Sense UI on-top of Android. This is a very nice interface that makes the phone a lot easier to use. But all of the important functionality is available on Andriod anyway, so it doesn't add a lot. It gives you two extra home-screens and the nice leap view to switch between them. It provides some nice widgets like friend stream and the clock/weather widget.

    The biggest feature missing on the Desire is the voice recognition from the Nexus One. Personally, I'm not so worried about this.

    The real downside to the Desire is that updates to the core OS need to be tested against this UI before they can be rolled out. This means that the Nexus One will be updated earlier (I believe Andriod 2.2 has been seen in the wild on Nexus Ones already). HTC and Google play well together, so I doubt the Desire will be far behind for these updates. But they will be behind. This may or may not be important, but what I've seen of Andriod 2.2, it's really nice and Google have some great ideas coming in future versions.

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    Registered User emmylou25's Avatar
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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Another bonus about the Nexus One is you can get hold of one of those no problem (I had a play with one in store last weekend), whereas the Desire you have to order with no delivery date in sight.

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    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Well just had a very nice chat with my upgrade advisor (!) in O2 who told me if I said "YES!" there and then I could get my HTC Desire next day delivery !!

    but to be honest.. I'm still sort of hedging my bets. I want to see what Apple pull out of the bag with the "imminent" 4G. And I'm also seriously giving thought to switching from O2 to another provider.

    Wonder if there's a thread/poll where people can discuss the various merits of their Mobile Phone providers hmm..

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    Smile Re: Any HTC phone users?

    I didn't go HTC simply cause I went with the Sony X10. I like sony always have. Best in batterylife by a long way. Its nice enough for me.

    I have to wait till christmas before its huge update. Sonys X10 runs on 1.6. Its perfect for what i need it for. Alot of what sony has done to the phone makes more than 1.6. However 2.1 has probably got more tweaks.

    Like all android / iphones battery lifes about a day. Depends on how much stuff you use and how many things are updating in the background. At the moment I get about 2 days out of mine. Though like i said it needs updated. Sony x10 keyboard is crap.. thankfully i installed the htc one

    Advance Task killer is almost a must as apps rarely seem to shutdown they just hang about in the background waiting for you to use them. Another good one is Startup Auditor.

    I was very close in getting the HTC desire but went with the Sonys X10.

    The app store is growing pretty quick.

    If you really get into the nitty gitty you can geek it by custom roms.

    Once you go root....

    Might go HTC next time. Anyway Iphone 4 is out summer? Might be worth a look. Though I think Android is well on its way to being a popular choice. Though at least with Apple its not fragmented by their OS.

    Anyways thought i'd say that most android nowadays are SWEET... and they don't count as part your 5 a day

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    I don't know if people have read this qabout the new iphone 4g http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone it's the review of the infamous one found in a bar.

    It looks like Apple are still 5 years behind other phones in terms of Hardware. Will be interesting to see what they come up with on the OS front. The origional iPhone interface was nice at the time it was released though other phones o/s's overtook it.

    I think if they have not done something amazimg with the interface it will be the end of Apples hold on the market (though no doubt there will be those who queue for it like the naff iPad).

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf View Post
    Well just had a very nice chat with my upgrade advisor (!) in O2 who told me if I said "YES!" there and then I could get my HTC Desire next day delivery !!
    Grrr, I'm with Vodafone, and mine's still nowhere in sight! At least my current phone's still in good working order so there's not too much of a rush (apart from my excitement at the whole new phone thing).

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Another vote for the Desire here, I upgraded from the HTC Hero and was very happy with that too. The desire is great for web browsing (800x480 screen), very facebook integrated. Having your contacts and calendar and mail actually *be* your google online ones works really well. The full turn by turn navigation (which can use the satellite photos from google maps too, no other satnav has that yet?) seems to work well. The camera is pretty good too (with led flash this time). Nothing else around at the moment I'd replace it with if I lost it. Got it for £360 and sold my Hero so not a bad upgrade price (never again will I tie myself into a damn contract period, still waiting to get out of the last one).

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    Re: Any HTC phone users?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    ...It looks like Apple are still 5 years behind other phones in terms of Hardware.
    Apple's hardware, in this case, doesn't really compare. Because they tune the OS to the Hardware, it tends to punch well above its weight in terms of performance.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    I think if they have not done something amazimg with the interface it will be the end of Apples hold on the market (though no doubt there will be those who queue for it like the naff iPad).
    The big issue for me is the content. Given Apple's capricious, arbitrary and opaque censoring of content, I've no intention of ever buying one of their devices.

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