TyTn 2 Vs Touch Cruise vs Touch dual vs Touch Diamond vs Other? - Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III General

Hey I am new to the whole smartphone game. My initial plan was to hop on the bandwagon and purchase an Iphone, but after further review there are quite a few phones that serve my purpose's better than the Iphone. I am a college student so as you can imagine pictures and video recording are important too me, as well as video messaging. One of the things also that turned me on to the HTC camp was the fact that I can edit word doc's which you can't on Iphone (such as reports or essay's for school). Another thing I am looking for is a phone with both 3G and WiFi, I know the dual doesn't have wifi but I am also wondering how important is that too the phone. I also plan to play quite alot of movies (and of course music) on my phone. This will also be used to manage pretty much, my life as it will be my own personal assistant in every way possible. My desire is so that I don't HAVE to update my phone for quite a few years. I know the diamond doesn't come out for a few months, I can wait if need be. Now this is the catch, I am an at&t gophone customer so perferably I would like to get an unlocked phone of whichever of these phones are the best (at&t doesnt support prepaid use of at&t tilt, fyi) but I may just get a plan (and give them the damn 500 deposit, grrrr) if NEED be. I am also a big fan of touchscreen so I would love for whichever of those phones that has one of the better models/ easier use of it. Also I just moved to a new city so of course a GPS nav. would be great.
Anyways post away, thank you in advance for the help guys.

If you want a full keyboard get the TyTn 2
If you want something slightly slimmer with no keyboard get the Touch/Dual
For the most part you can emulate the Touch apps on the TyTn 2...so you kind of get the bet of both worlds.
However since your first inclination was for the iPhone I gather one of two things (or both):
1) You are an "apple" person and therefore probably don't want to tinker with your stuff to get it to work right for you.
2) You are concerned with looks and graphics above all
If either of these are the case I would wait for the Diamond as it really does appear to be much more fluid and you won't need to tinker to get it iPhone-esque. Of course, by the time they release it there will be hints of even newer device coming...

Cliff notes?

Dude, add a poll!

it really depends on your personal taste. Keeping the diamond off this review the tilt is the best among the other available options imo. I love having a full qwerty keyboard as texting and writing messages (especially for here ) is easy. The only place where it falls short is graphic and video drivers, note that i didn't say anything about hardware which is perfectly capable .. just need better drivers.
Anyways it all boils down to personal choice .. the tilt rocks imo.
p.s. CUSTEL there is dude looking for a tilt i recommended you

Well one of my biggest things is going to be both putting movies/music videos on my memory card as well as streaming videos on my phone so - these graphic and video drivers, are they major complications in that? I have read some things on the issues with playing videos on the tilt but was unsure if these have since been unresolved issues.
I am not an apple person, no. Looks I can live without but the graphics of the videos I play as well as the video recordings are of importance. I don't mind tinkering with the phone to get a better phone at all no. That is one of the things I like about these phones are that you can download diff things for them (so I've read). The reasons why I wanted the iphone are simply that, I HEARD the iphone is the best phone out. After further research I have not found that to be the case, especially in my situation. The fact that it doesn't have a video camera NOR MMS are huge faults for me. I loved the fact that it was touch screen, but seeing as there are so many more touch screen phones out there that I didn't know about opened a whole new world too me =].
And yes, the fact that better phones ARE always coming out is something that I have thought about and one of the reasons why I may scratch the diamond off my list =p
Also can somebody inform me on how too add a poll, ty.

The microSD cards are a very good solution for music and videos. Without the graphics drivers, streaming video is not a problem. Also as long as the video is decently sized to the resolution of the phone, playback should not be much of an issue if you use Coreplayer Qtv (not free software). I personally don't like the Tilt (it's too bulky) and think the Cruise is a great device.
The Diamond is another cool device, but the fact that it has no microSD slot and is not a true worldphone (like the kaiser and cruise) are negatives for me. Also I have yet to see what the battery life will be on that device, smaller battery and all. Besides the Diamond won't be out for the Americas for a bit longer.

Charlemagne said:
Well one of my biggest things is going to be both putting movies/music videos on my memory card as well as streaming videos on my phone so - these graphic and video drivers, are they major complications in that? I have read some things on the issues with playing videos on the tilt but was unsure if these have since been unresolved issues.
I am not an apple person, no. Looks I can live without but the graphics of the videos I play as well as the video recordings are of importance. I don't mind tinkering with the phone to get a better phone at all no. That is one of the things I like about these phones are that you can download diff things for them (so I've read). The reasons why I wanted the iphone are simply that, I HEARD the iphone is the best phone out. After further research I have not found that to be the case, especially in my situation. The fact that it doesn't have a video camera NOR MMS are huge faults for me. I loved the fact that it was touch screen, but seeing as there are so many more touch screen phones out there that I didn't know about opened a whole new world too me =].
And yes, the fact that better phones ARE always coming out is something that I have thought about and one of the reasons why I may scratch the diamond off my list =p
Also can somebody inform me on how too add a poll, ty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think MChapman was being tongue in cheek with his poll suggestion. This topic has been BEAT TO DEATH on this forum and does not deserve to be ever brought up again. EVER. What phone should I pick? Is the Iphone better? Basically no phone does everything well or else there would not be so many phones. You don't seem to want much(laugh) just everything in a small package. The iPhone is a entertainment device with minimal life organization abilities. The Tilt is a hardcore business and life organizer with adequate entertainment functions. Personally I have a Tilt that runs my life and business and an ipod touch that has 16GB of entertainment on it . They both do exaclty what I want them to do.
And if I want an all in one device, I duct tape them together

denco7 said:
I think MChapman was being tongue in cheek with his poll suggestion. This topic has been BEAT TO DEATH on this forum and does not deserve to be ever brought up again. EVER. What phone should I pick? Is the Iphone better? Basically no phone does everything well or else there would not be so many phones. You don't seem to want much(laugh) just everything in a small package. The iPhone is a entertainment device with minimal life organization abilities. The Tilt is a hardcore business and life organizer with adequate entertainment functions. Personally I have a Tilt that runs my life and business and an ipod touch that has 16GB of entertainment on it . They both do exaclty what I want them to do.
And if I want an all in one device, I duct tape them together
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said..... There are so many comparisons in this forum and everyone will have an opinion. Yes, i have the Tilt also and it's the best phone on the planet... (**NOTE** For me that is) Would your "Other" be the SE Xperia X1?

I bet the Touch Diamond's battery life will be very similar to the Tilt and the Touch Cruise due to the Diamond's processor being built on a smaller 65nm process if I am correct. And assuming that the processor consumes the most amount of power in the phone, this new one processor will consume less than the ones in the Tilt and Touch Cruise.

"This topic has been BEAT TO DEATH on this forum and does not deserve to be ever brought up again. EVER."
Oh ok, I didn't know that. I have been looking for people's input on these phones all over the net with minimal results. I am basically just trying to get a sense of what are the strong suits of each phone and on the flip side, what are the negative aspects of each phone and what should I watch out for with either. If anyone of you can point me too reviews or other forum discussions that highlight thats character traits about the phone that would be fantastic.
"Personally I have a Tilt that runs my life and business and an ipod touch that has 16GB of entertainment on it "
Thats cool for you, but personally I am not trying to walk around looking like inspector gadget. That and those are two major investments, especially when you can just get a phone that can hold sd slots (which also scratches out the diamond in my list fyi, ty hambola). Same with GPS and nav, now that your phone can do this it wouldnt make sense too go out and buy ANOTHER navigation system, especially for a student on a budget =] Too be honest also if you can type relatively fast on either one (for editing word doc's) I probably won't even need a laptop =] Just one simple phone would make my life a whole lot easier, man how I love technology.

You know, after further review of each phone I have decided not to get either of the phones. Each one has its own little draw backs that nag me too the point that I don't really want to purchase the phone. Hopefully the Xperia is amazing!!! ANyone else know any other good phones that would be up my alley? Thanks guys.

Charlemagne said:
You know, after further review of each phone I have decided not to get either of the phones. Each one has its own little draw backs that nag me too the point that I don't really want to purchase the phone. Hopefully the Xperia is amazing!!! Anyone else know any other good phones that would be up my alley? Thanks guys.
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Click to collapse
Xperia does not convinced me at all. That's my opinion.
I just saw a video of the Diamond and I have to say it's a lot better than Xperia.
Hey there is a new iphone coming next month with 3g and other stuff, and I'm pretty sure you already know
Anyways...Tilt is a great choice.
Hey I'm thinking on selling mine but.. trust me is a hard choice. I really like the Tilt.

Well one of my biggest issues with the tilt is that it doesn't have a GPS nav in it which blows =[ The diamond doen't offer card slots (???? wtf???) so I can't upgrade memory or put any music/movies on any cards.

The tilt does have a GPS nav in it.

where are all these so called "Touch" apps located?

TYTNII Rocks
I have a TYTN II that rocks my world. It organises my business, and stores enough podcasts to keep me amused while flying (4 hours per week). I don't do video as am well over the porn thing although do watch Big Brother via Planet 3 here in Oz. It's bulk and I;m looking at a Diamond for my son, as 3 here has ceased selling the TYTN II. the Diamond looks pretty smik.

Related

Tilt vs Iphone - which is better ?

i dont know if this is the right place to post because you guys will obviously be biased towards the tilt..
what do u think , should i buy a Tilt or the current Iphone ?
i like to browse the net thru wifi quite a bit, check emails. also while talking voice quality is important, signal strenth is important too.
any suggestions is appreciated specially if someone has owned both of these 2. thx
btw i have read other threads and googled other comparisions but there werent too much opinions on this topic.
the few i saw said they liked Tilt better.
okay i dont own a tilt, so thought id post.
i prefer the tilt,
in my opinion it looks nicer, is easier to text (with the keyboard), the hackability is excellent (ROMS) and applications are plentiful.
tseten said:
btw i have read other threads and googled other comparisions but there werent too much opinions on this topic.
the few i saw said they liked Tilt better.
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Click to collapse
Not sure what you mean about "weren't too much opinions" but this forum is full of opinions about the iPhone and Tilt and you will find some very heated opinions to boot.
On I side note: I have the Tilt, my wife has the 8525, and my Brother in-law has the iPhone. Each His (Or Her) own....
IMO ~ You may have just reopened a big can off &%#* as this forum is not a iPhone forum and iPhone or related threads generally get bashed on. Start a Poll!!!!
i have heard the Tilt is fat and bulky compared to the sleek Iphone....
and the Tilts touch screen scratches easily and have to use stylus... whereas iphone screen is scratch resistant... i think.
but ofcourse I like HTC, and i like Windows Mobile6 ...i currently own a different HTC phone with wm6 custom rom. so before yall think abt bashing me, im a custom WM6 Rom fanboy...
kingsizeriz said:
okay i dont own a tilt, so thought id post.
i prefer the tilt,
in my opinion it looks nicer, is easier to text (with the keyboard), the hackability is excellent (ROMS) and applications are plentiful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have both and i love the tilt better
iphone after a while gets repetitive and boring
tilt theres more to discover by the day
Well, if the iPhone ran Windows Mobile it would be a close call, even with all the WM "limitations", it is still far greater and customizable then the iPhone interface, in which basically... you can swap icons.
Plus Gps, 3G and whatever else the iPhone misses.
iPhone has a bigger and more resistant screen and that's pretty much all I can see about iPhone having better.
I think comparing this version of the iphone and tilt isnt close without 3g and gps. But if you don't use those who knows. The iphone is defintely thinner and sleeker. But the wm phone is much more functiona.
Skyfire browses the web just as well as the iphones and handles all flash content, can't beat that.
well i would get tilt myself but i got piles of 3th party progs which is wm
and want something better then edge and want flash support
but i do think iphone looks better but then i never were a big fan of the looks of kaiser
get both and then decide which one u want and then sell the other one.
I have both, here's my opinion
Tilt
Pro's:
3G
GPS
WMWifiRouter & tethering
Youtube
MicroSD Slot
Easy to sawp sim card
Exchange/Direct Push
Quake I & II
Microsoft Mobile Office
Con's:
Battery life
size (lets face it, compared to the iphone the tilt is a brick)
video issues
slow at times
can't get NES roms to work properly (thats for me atleast)
WM is designed to be used with a stylus, I know, touchflow TRIES tomake up for it, but falls short imo
OEM headset sucks
iPhone:
Pro:
easy to use
video playback is great
surfing the internet is quick and fun (despite the 2.5 modem)
Installer app is really nice (if u hack/unlock ur iphone)
the ipod functions are nice
great ebook reader imo
Accelerometers
screen size & quality
multi touch
threaded sms out the box
solid feel to it
size
comes with a cradle and nice headset
Con:
2.5G modem
No tehtering
no gps
no video recorder (but can be downloaded via installer)
no exchange
calander sucks
keyboard sucks
iPhone plans suck (with AT&T)
App icons on homescreen are static, meaning it wont update the weather on the front screen, u have to open the app to see the weather
screen does not recognize a stylus
easy to scratch
I had my tilt first, and I loved it, and thought it was the best phone ever... I just got my iphone roughly a month ago, and I fell in love all over again. Dont get me wrong though, I wouldnt say anyone of the phones is superior to the other... They are 2 different styles of phones, one is a buisness type personal manager, and the other is a entertainment device. I love the tilts connectivity, I travel a lot for work, and I got to school at night. Its nice to be able to whip out the tilt, connect to the internet and share the connection with my laptop. Also during my travels, if i get lost, TomTom will always direct me to my destination. The iphone is great when going out a night, its slim shape allows me to have in my pocket, for my tilt i have to use a belt clip/pouch.
So there ya go... You just need to make sure the phone your getting suits your needs... the tilt suits my business life, the iphone my personal life... I wish there was a device that did both in 1.. maybe the next HTC device or the 3G iphone will cover all bases... we'll see
tseten said:
...whereas iphone screen is scratch resistant...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope I can confirm it does scratch.. I have a fat scratch middle of my screen
I'm a new user here which means my opinion doesn't count as much, ;-), but I'll throw my 2 cents in anyways. I'm looking for a "one device to rule them all" type thing. The Kaiser and the iPhone 1.0 are close. However, I think the phones that'll make me happy are either the TyN IV or the iPhone 3.0. The above poster is right that the WM6 isn't great at entertainment/personal apps and the iPhone isn't great at business apps. In the race of the Tyn IV and the iPhone 3.0, I think that Apple will win because their interface is so much more polished, integrated, and smooth.
Oh, I just got a Kaiser on Friday, I've been using an iPod for years, but don't have an iPhone.
A Man's Phone
I have a tilt and my wife has an iphone. So that is easy , the Tilt is a man"s phone and the iphone is a girl's phone. Just Kidding (kinda) Higherbeing had all the technicals right. I run a business totally (mostly) on my tilt. From editing documents on the go, to planning my day, to finding my way to jobsites(GPS)to organizing contact and the constant flow of emails and I do it all at 3G speed , I could not see me with an iphone.My wife texts her friends, listens to music at the gym, gets a email or two from work, shows everyone pictures of the family, watches a youtube video or two checks the weather occasionally and laughs at my stylus. Like they say, to each his/her own.
oh yea forgot mobile office as one of the pro's on the tilt...
heh denco sounds like we have simular life styles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaZIs4oN4yA
http://www.chinabestmobile.com/listE.asp?ProdId=0097
tseten said:
i dont know if this is the right place to post because you guys will obviously be biased towards the tilt..
what do u think , should i buy a Tilt or the current Iphone ?
i like to browse the net thru wifi quite a bit, check emails. also while talking voice quality is important, signal strenth is important too.
any suggestions is appreciated specially if someone has owned both of these 2. thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought an iPhone for my wife and a Tilt for myself a few weeks later. At times I've regretted not getting the iPhone in part because:
It has a slightly larger screen
It has a slimmed down version of iTunes.
The touch screen gestures are very intuitive and work out of the box.
There's a steeper learning curve for the Tilt. However, once you get a handle on the basics (thanks xda!!) it can be a more powerful device for a few reasons:
3G is a lot better than Edge.
Built in GPS is awesome.
Works with a lot more bluetooth devices.
There's a lot more software out there for Windows Mobile than for the iPhone.
The slide out keyboard can really come in handy for those longer emails.
Office mobile and built-in full featured exchange sync
Some of these advantages can be had if you unlock the iphone and use FreeBSD/MacOS X software directly.
If you're like me and you're mainly interested in having the benefits of a computer in a very small form factor (one you can carry around - one device to rule them all so to speak) I'd go with the Tilt. The iPhone is wonderful but it's also kind of constraining.
I think this sums up my thoughts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKsJDLj4nDI
Plus the Tilt is hotter in this video.
thanks for all the post guys... i think the Tilt is the right fone for me.... even though im using Tmobile so 3G phone is useless.
i like the GPS with TomTom feature too...
i might also buy the Iphone later if they drop the price... which they might since the new iphone is coming out very soon.
tseten said:
thanks for all the post guys... i think the Tilt is the right fone for me.... even though im using Tmobile so 3G phone is useless.
i like the GPS with TomTom feature too...
i might also buy the Iphone later if they drop the price... which they might since the new iphone is coming out very soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. Tilt has more options.
Also, I laugh at your statement of Apple dropping their price. My company unfortunately uses some Apples in its Design Department. I've never seen the price go down. When they announce a new "upgrade" The old one sells at the same price, or is dropped $20, while the new one sells for $50 or more over. Then when the old one is sold out, the new ones price drops down to the Old ones price. Just in time for it to start all over again. In fact the price on iMacs has gone UP incrementally.

To buy a Tilt or not, opinions please

Hey,
Im moving on from my trusty MDA and came apon a few decently priced At&t Tilts. Ive read over the driver issues and just wanted the opinions of some current and/or previous owners.
Just so you know, I have owned a Wing, MDA and currently a Blackjack2 and had flashed/upgraded the HTCs several times. Thats why I want to come back to an HTC device.
Thanks in advance.
go for it dude
fhaines said:
Hey,
Im moving on from my trusty MDA and came apon a few decently priced At&t Tilts. Ive read over the driver issues and just wanted the opinions of some current and/or previous owners.
Just so you know, I have owned a Wing, MDA and currently a Blackjack2 and had flashed/upgraded the HTCs several times. Thats why I want to come back to an HTC device.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I think it is a great phone.
I agree. Fully functional 3D drivers or not, this is still the most amazing phone on the market for price point. The only thing I would personally get above this phone is the touch pro....and that wont be for some time to come
I've had a tilt since oct 07. Wouldn't give it up for anything. Does it play 3d perfectly, no...but I didn't buy it to play movies & mp3 files. Does it have as quality camera as my old SE W810i? No, but with patience, it does pretty darn well. I got the tilt because it allowed me to replace a phone & PDA with one device. I use mobile office around 10-15 times a day, 20-30 text messages a day, the camera maybe once or twice a week, and it is without a doubt the best
device I've owned. it has it's quirks, but what device doesn't?
here hear, awesomest phone i have ever owned. I was looking for a phone i could replace my phone and pda with. it rocksas far as features. sure the graphics suck. but they get the job done in a pinch. weee it's the most technologicaly advanced phone that att has right now. I dont have to synch eight devices. i just got rid of my laptop. I use this for most everything. i have school comp labs for everything else. i thought about taking it back and waiting fr something better to come out. but. when the touch pro comes out it will cost 450 dollars with a new 2 year agreement. school stsrts before then anyways. HEY thanks you guysfor making this the coolest phone it can be with what is available. is there any feature that another phone has that this one does not. in america anyways. it is a business phone. it does just that. it will play most regular phone games out there. damn it doesnt play crysis at maximum detail. boo hoo. it is a freakin miracle these slow resricted devices can do what they do. having said that. im sure my opinion would be changed with a good foreign phone. hey and htc come on. what other company out there encourages hacking their phones by putting xda developers in their wiki. i have dropped this thing onto concrete hard twice and to my knowledge it hasnt phased it. oh and btw. i dont have a data plan for my phone. i am typing this on my tilt at panera bread on my hardware giant qwerty keyboard. this has taken me fifteen mins to write. do that iphone. do that old style 12 key phones. i just got the thing and i am typing fast on it. if you want a gaming phone this is not for you. if you want relatively long battery life when you surf the net using wifi get this phone. i am comparing the batt life to my sony clie which had first generation pda wifi in it. i have gone over an hour today surfing the web. i still have 20 pecent left and i started with like 60. my clie could only go for like 45 mins with a brand new battery with a slower processor. well panera bread is cosing and i should probably get home. but it isnt becase my pda ran outof juice. i have the oem batt btw. good night all. i hope this helps you in your quest fora new phone.
i have owned the tilt since Nov 2007 and it has been a excellent pocket pc/phone. what i really like about the phone is having the ability to flash the rom that chefs have to offer. it's nice to have options and incredible free applications out there offered by the programmer's.
i have been through four previous pocket pc phones and it's nice for once that there is everything packaged into one device. I use gps, wifi, watch movies, listen to mp3s, outlook/exchange, bluetooth etc.. i take the phone to the limits and it meets expectations.
despite the video driver problem, its not a big deal if you are really into eye candy.
if you have other questions, you can email me..
tvos
Nooo. Don't get it. I personally plan on selling my Tilt and shelling out some cash to get the AT&T Fuze (Touch Pro). It's much better. The retail pricing is only about $100-200 more then the Tilt's. So it'll retail for about $550/$650 w/o contract. =) This is a great deal compared to $1k. It's going to come out before year's end and AT&T data managers are currently testing the Fuze. It'll be out before 08 ends I can swear on it. It has a different color TF3D as we've seen. It has no front camera and an extra button for PTT. That's about it.
Guess how I got this info =)
Kraize92 said:
Nooo. Don't get it. I personally plan on selling my Tilt and shelling out some cash to get the AT&T Fuze (Touch Pro). It's much better. The retail pricing is only about $100-200 more then the Tilt's. So it'll retail for about $550/$650 w/o contract. =) This is a great deal compared to $1k. It's going to come out before year's end and AT&T data managers are currently testing the Fuze. It'll be out before 08 ends I can swear on it. It has a different color TF3D as we've seen. It has no front camera and an extra button for PTT. That's about it.
Guess how I got this info =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you don't know what your talking about...
get the tilt..... worse and try it out for 30 days.. if you don't like it, return it... this probably the best to offer... at least at&t give you this option.
tvos
tvos said:
you don't know what your talking about...
get the tilt..... worse and try it out for 30 days.. if you don't like it, return it... this probably the best to offer... at least at&t give you this option.
tvos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rofl. I know exactly what I'm talking about
I dont want to sound negative
but your posting on a Kaiser forum and asking people who own a Tilt if they advise you to get it... haha i got a feeling your gonna get around 90% yes...
the real test is to ask some guys who have a htc touch diamond or some of the other smart phones out there what they think of the Kaiser...
oh and my answer is yes... get it... with the right tweaks and a few apps to your liking, it will be the best phone you have owned (well atleast it is the best phone i have had)
I had mine since March. Pretty good phone. A tad on the heavy side. And depends on how you like to hold it, the little corner of the USB port may dig into your pinky. The AT&T bloatware are garbage but nothing you can't fix on your own. There are enough people that like it to get a constant supply of goodies.
Knowing what I know now, would I get it again? Probably.
fhaines said:
Hey,
Im moving on from my trusty MDA and came apon a few decently priced At&t Tilts. Ive read over the driver issues and just wanted the opinions of some current and/or previous owners.
Just so you know, I have owned a Wing, MDA and currently a Blackjack2 and had flashed/upgraded the HTCs several times. Thats why I want to come back to an HTC device.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I look for speed and stability in a PPC, and I'm sorry to say that once again I have not found it in a HTC phone. I previously had the S710. Compared to that, the TYTN-II is fast as lightning. But compared to previous Sony Ericsson and Palm phones, the TYTN-II is sloppy. Admittedly it has GPS and WI-FI, which the others did not. The stability is below what I think is reasonable to expect for a smartphone in 2008. The touchscreen and buttons are occasionally unresponsive, and normal operation is often replaced by random "irregularities". I soft reset the device some 1-3 times a week, because unexpected stuff just happens: ranging from missed calls, broken activesync, unable to connect to EDGE network, software crashes, buttons not working.
Yet I hold on to it. It sports a nice set of features, and the software for it is plentyfull. The stability and performance can be improved by careful configuration (involving a lot of trial-and-error), but be prepared to spend a lot of hours on it. If you are a "point-and-shoot" type of person, who just want a phone that works out of the box, you may be disappointed with this one.
At least this is my personoal experience with the phone. Your milage may vary!
If you're prepared to put up with what can at times be an annoyingly slow user interface, then I don't see why not. The feature-set is excellent, the build quality is excellent and the tilting display shows no sign of flimsy construction. It has a nice weight to it and feels comfortable to hold and use.
But the dsmn lack of drivers *REALLY* grates at me after a while, especially when switching between portrait/landscape modes. The more time goes on, the more you notice how slow it is. There are tweaks that help, for example if you set the X button to close instead of hide apps the effect of this is minimised somewhat, but that shouldn't be necessary.
Unless you have patience for a UI with an average speed of "slow" I would go for one of HTCs other offerings which actually uses the hardware it contains, although if the custom drivers that are underway reach completion, perhaps the Kaiser will be a serious contender. So if you DO buy one, you may think of it as an investment for the future
Quality and Function comparisons
CrArc said:
. . . The feature-set is excellent, the build quality is excellent and the tilting display shows no sign of flimsy construction. It has a nice weight to it and feels comfortable to hold and use. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Wizard (8125) and a Kaiser (Tilt) and just got a Hermes (8525) for another family member - the Kaiser obviously has the best feature set, but the build quality of the other two is better, IMO. The 8125 is clunky looking, but solid, and the spacing of the keys makes it much easier not to miss-key. The 8525 is super-solid, has the best battery cover, and I think is the best looking.
That said, I will keep using the Kaiser. I have also tried i-mate 8502 and HP iPaq 910c, and returned to the Kaiser. The chrome is wearing down on the buttons, and some of HTC's software design on it is annoying (e.g. fast backlight shutoff - fixable of course). In the inevitable comparison to iPhone 3G, the iPhone does some things amazingly well (threaded SMS, internet browsing) but still doesn't have a spreadsheet for crying out loud! I depend on Excel, use it constantly in eyecare clinic.
So despite its flaws, the Kaiser is the best thing for me - until Touch Pro for AT&T 3G is available - then I will get that - the 5 row keyboard and the VGA screen are the big pluses there, and you can never have too much memory.
You know I researched a lot before buying my tilt, knowing I would need to unlock and flash it to get the functionality I wanted. I could not be happier with my purchase. Things I know I can not do with an Iphone easily or at all at no additional cost include excel & word editing, connect to Citrix, RDP, tether my laptop by either USB or BT. As for the d3d drivers, while they would be nice I don't see them as mandatory since this is first a phone and a PDA not a iPod. That said, I have no issue other than bandwidth when I comes to streaming media through ORB to my TILT and playback is more than acceptable for me.
Just do it since your no stranger to flashing,
z

If you were in the market today would you still buy Kaiser based?

Well looks like I am going to be buying a new phone in January. The Tilt seems to be the best bet for me at the moment but I have to ask.
Knowing what you know now would you buy another Kaiser based phone today? Or would you grab something a little newer? Is there anything comparable?
Thanks!
Richard
AT&T made my hate HTC becasue they keep sending me ****ty refurbs. Each time there is a diff problem with it..
So a big NO for me.
Absolutely not. Even the reviews I read didn't show how terrible this phone was; they only spoke praise of it. I feel lied to by AT&T and HTC, who claimed it would be the most multimedia capable phone in the U.S.. It came to me unable to play most videos at more than 12 fps.
Short solution: next time I'm buying a BlackBerry.
The Fuze is the AT&T upgrade to the Tilt, and I may have bought that had it been out when I purchased my tilt, but I have to say I love my tilt. Sure, it has it's problems with the video drivers, but I'm sure someone will eventually get it worked out. The phone works great for me otherwise. It has so many features jammed into one phone, I couldn't be without it.
I wouldn't get a blackberry or nojia because I love WM platform. There are other HTC devices that have better video drivers, but nothing else except the Fuze has a pull out keyboard in addition to the rest of the features (like GPS, wifi, bluetooth, SD slot, etc.) that I love so much.
WOW!
WOW! Actualy its a great phone! I would def get another! But the Diamond and the fuze have also peeked my intrest! It depends what you are willing to spend! There is no such thing as the perfect phone but I love my tilt and I have T-Mobile! Because of the Fuze AT&T is offering some realy good deals on the Tilt and you can get them just as cheap online if you dont want the data plan! With the ROM chefs we have here now they are better than ever, I have TF3D running on mine and it is fast and stable! So to sum it up, I would say yes, great phone, would recomend to anyone!
You've got to be kidding. This phone has put me off giving money to HTC for a long time. It's not so much that there's anything specifically wrong with it that I can point you to as one good reason to avoid it, it's just that there's nothing rightabout it either.
I would say Yes, if I was on a budget, and maybe an Xperia if I was not. After playing around on the Fuze I would skip it, for reasons, including the iPhoning of the phone. But I have to agree with Bartzilla about the rightness of the Tilt. I needed to perform some extensive tweaking and unlocking, and app tuning before it worked just right. BUT I LOVE IT NOW
I like mine, especially for the money.
I bought the AT&T refurbished and "touch wood" have been happy with it so far.
Pretty good all round. I've had a Diamond and thought it was a big let down.
If someone sorts these videodrivers out it could be very good.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat, especially for what I got my tilt for.
Ill start off by first saying i love my kaiser, its by far the best phone i have ever owned. That being said it is also the most FRUSTERATING and DISSAPOINTING phone i have ever had my hands on. The video drivers are the worst but little things like the terrible keyboard lag and way too slow UI make this phone seem outdated. with these issues in mind i wll be taking my chances with the touch pro when my contract is up in feb. No way would i get another tilt.
I typically don't use the device to watch videos or **** like that. However, I have a ton of applications and programs. I tested the BB Bold for sometime and I thought it was lacking 3rd party applications. I tested Iphone but I wanted to throw it at every metrosexual I saw using the same device. I have not tested the Touch Pro/Fuze or whatever you want to call it but all in all I have the perfect rom and radio on my device and I am happy I am still with my Tilt.
So basically if I am just using it as a phone and maybe for reasing ebooks, listening to mp3's it would be ok? Would there be a better phone for that?
rahlquist said:
So basically if I am just using it as a phone and maybe for reasing ebooks, listening to mp3's it would be ok? Would there be a better phone for that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're using it as a phone look elsewhere
If you plan on listening to mp3's the battery drains too quickly
I don't release eBooks so I can't help you
I use it for listening to MP3s over Bluetooth Stereo and get ~4-5 hours/charge with a decent reserve. Not bad.
It has far better battery life than my Wizard did - by about 70%. BIG difference. I can do two+ hours of streaming video off my ORB server and still have half my charge left. With the Wizard I'd be getting a low-battery warning.
Phone calls? No problems.
I have it pulling email every 10 minutes from an echo of my main email box over IMAP; I don't have an Exchange server.
While battery life isn't great compared to the Wizard its excellent. I easily get a full day's average use and have 40% charge remaining; with the Wizard if I was threatened with being away from a place I could get either a USB or 12V tap (e.g. out of my car) I'd carry a spare battery. I have one for the Kaiser but rarely bother sticking it in my pocket, as I've yet to run out of power in an average day's use.
Well man thats an excellent question, I really like my Tilt alot but like everyone says it has its setbacks but what phone doesn't. I guess it would really depend on ones spending limit. Its an excellent phone very many features and buttons (which I for one like) this is actually one of the things keeping me from getting a Fuze (would really like VGA). Sorry if Im not much help Ive been pondering my choice of phones the last few little whiles.
I like the Tilt A LOT!
sure it has a couple of wrinkles that need to be ironed out, but you learn to work around the bugs.....so everything else is AWSOME!
I would say it depends on what features are important for you
- for example
Kaiser supports GSM 850 Mhz band (in addition to 900/1800/1900) and the Diamond or the Touch-pro don't seem to. Considering the areas where I need to frequently travel that becomes an important criterion for me. A full QWERTY hardware keyboard is important for me. That therefore rules out many otherwise very good devices. And so on. There is probably no single phone that is the best in every feature - I would say make a list of things that matter and prioritize them to decide.
have to agree that it'll depend on the stuff you'd like to use it for.
as a main phone, my kaiser is still doing well, and i will definitely buy another PPC phone, as i need the full compatibility with outlook. also, third party and custom software is much more available for this platform at the moment. i have movies and mp3s on my phone but mostly as backups to pass the time. what i use more are GPS navigation, dictionaries, minor excel spreadsheet usage, voice recording, emergency note taker/document editor, internet/surfing, calculator, and i also like being able to customize the today screen to show an extensive range of appointments (90 days through SPB diary). i've been using PPCs for the last 5 years, so i didn't have too many issues with the kaiser, but i didnt' have very high expectations of them either. the usual cons apply and i still face the same huge amounts of grief i experience whenever my phone crashes (due to my fault or the phone's fault). i've used my friend's touch pro, and it doesn't feel all that much snappier than my kaiser after i have optimized my kaiser.
as a backup device though, i recently bought a nokia 6210 navigator. i wanted the n82 but couldn't afford it. i have to say the symbian interface is very slick, and it just works out of the box, and it does what it does fairly snappily, and it feels faster than the kaiser. but, and perhaps it's because i'm still new to the symbian platform, customizing it is more difficult and especially with this new symbian s60 3rd platform, where new programs must be digitally signed. there are ways to get around it, but seems like a bit of a hassle to a new user, and 3rd party and other random apps seem harder to find for this platform. but basically if you don't intend to modify, then these nokias are almost idiot-proof.

Can the Diamond really be recommended?

I cant help, but I am "slowly" getting more and more convinced not to buy a Diamond because of the apparent issues I continue to find.
First I found out about the display issue which is (also officially) said to happen only with too much pressure (what exactly is too much), although some reported them as well and stated to have taken care. Now it seems there is yet one more issue with the backlighting respectively the hardware itself.
Would you say I am exaggerating and those issues are normal ones which happen to some extent on all phones or is my upcoming impression right that the Diamond might be a true beta product - it's not that those issues are exactly minor ones?
Please let me know your true and objective (please no fanboyism in either way ) opinion.
all I can say is these forums get a lot more of
"I have a problem"
then
"my diamond is working fine and i would not change a thing"
happy users
1 never come here
2 try to help others
If you come to a forum where people are seeking help with their phone then unsuprisingly you are gonna find alot of people with phone problems they would like help with.
This is true for all devices from phones to cars, and will always give the impression that the device has many flaws. In the bigger picture far more people are happy with their diamond than reading here will have you think.
i believe that the diamond really is a great smartphone, (no fanboyism) and that it really delivers a great bunch of possibilities, especially when paired with xda developers it migth tend to be a little slow sometimes though. and sometimes even slower... but the first problem you described, ive never heard of before, and i do not believe you will experience this without trying to do it, or if you by accident throws a rock at the display (accident???) the second problem sounded like a flash of a custom rom gone wrong, which doesnt really have anything to do with the phone, but more with the person behind the phone
these 2 problems that you talk about seems like some that only happens if you doesnt take a little care of your phone, and i do not believe that these should make you worry about getting a diamond. but you might want to consider buying a diamond2 instead, since its about to get released
.
Thanks for all your responses so far, of course the argument of complainers being louder is valid, but I suppose I am particularly worried here because the two mentioned issues seem to be quite common - among the complainers at least - and seem to be rather major issues and not like a minor one such as a buggy software.
Hojlind said:
but the first problem you described, ive never heard of before, and i do not believe you will experience this without trying to do it, or if you by accident throws a rock at the display (accident???)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually I am not using rocks , but there are also quite a few in the mentioned thread who have stated to never have mistreated the display. Of course its not easy to verify this claim but I have to admit it makes me worry.
Hojlind said:
the second problem sounded like a flash of a custom rom gone wrong, which doesnt really have anything to do with the phone, but more with the person behind the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd have assumed that too, however it doesnt seem to have taken place immediately after flashing but a few days later and a few even mentioned it happened without any flashing at all.
Hojlind said:
these 2 problems that you talk about seems like some that only happens if you doesnt take a little care of your phone, and i do not believe that these should make you worry about getting a diamond. but you might want to consider buying a diamond2 instead, since its about to get released
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What attracts me particularly to the Diamond is its size. It is one of the smallest Windows Mobile phones available. The Diamond 2 is already noticeable larger and so I'd then opt for the HD right away.
I've had so many devices I can't remember how many, from pocket pc's to the diamond I've just been randomly given free, not on upgrade .. just a random gift.
First impressions - after having it for 6 hours:
Looks great, I like the candybar format, after the Vario III it's .. novel.
The screen is a vast improvement over the last generation of screens.
The camera produces usable images, the Vario III didn't. haven't tried video but the new drivers seem to be doing their job.
GPS lag has not been tested on the road but tomtom picked up a signal quickly enough.
I've not yet experienced the dropped call when answering because of the end call nonsense on the screen. If I do there is a workaround.
The Compact IV won't open a full 300mb Memory Map file, I've had to break the maps down into bite size chunks for it.
After using the vario III for a long time I've never used more than 3.5GB, despite having a 6GB card so I won't miss the lack of memory card.
I didn't use the keyboard of the other phones I used to the lack of it is welcome.
On balance, I would recommend this phone but a novice would quickly be frustrated and that's mostly down to interface quirks which you get used to after a while, and here's usually a workaround for most problems, except a duff driver.
Why the people at HTC and t-mobile don't just farm the ROM dev out to xda-dev is beyond me.
The developers here do a better job, quicker and cheaper than the bunch of talentless spods employed by the various co's who make the devices. Although, I might be being too harsh on the spods, they probably do a great job but get stymied by the suits.
Could I recommend the Diamond ? Yes.
Diamond is the best WM device I've ever used...
Mine's been bumping around in my pocket for the last 10 months, dropped a couple of times, lives in a (padded) bumbag when I'm trail riding my pushbike and generally been used rather a lot - but never abused.
In my previous job role I managed 1500 WM devices for an SME (sig...) and I can say with the absolute certainty of someone who has been there for a living that the kind of hardware failures that get reported here are almost unheard of in any WM devices that haven't been physically mistreated or had roms flashed in a hamfisted way.
Sitting down a couple of times with a touchscreen phone in the front pocket of a tight pair of trousers will always flex the device just enough for the display to fail somewhere down the line - usually long after the offender has left our employ and the device has been passed on to the next user...
Mind you I'll probably pick up a Touch Pro 2 when my contract is up for renewal...
I had one for a few months and didnt like it.
I am not remotely clued up on the technical side of things so this is very much a laymans report:
It had lots of features I liked but on the whole the phone was too much hassle and its cons outweighed its pro's. (the poor camera, the "black screen" when on the phone thing, the poor on/off button on the top, the poor lock/unlock system. But i loved the interface of the phone.
Swapped it for a LG Renoir and miss the Diamond, but they both have things the other doesnt. So I am no better off.
When will someone make the perfect phone? lol
The Diamond is excellent if you can handle it meaning you have really get into tweaking. Out of the box I would not recommend it but if you are willing improve it on your own by using the helpful programs of this forum than it's an excellent choice.
I have had several PDA phones: Sansung i700, i730, i760, HTC Mogul. Of those I loved the i760 with it's number keypad (granted it had it's issues also). Hated the Mogul (low memory issue and slow). The Diamond I consider an outstanding phone. My biggest issue is the lack of responsiveness of the screen. Takes some getting use to. I did the registry changes but didn't notice a real difference. Compared to the other PDA phones I mentioned I love the display quality, size, look, feel, and $10 internet with Sprint. Perfect phone for me. The battery life I can deal with. I have a cradle with a spare battery, a car charger and spare charger at work so I'm always prepared. By the way the battery life seems to have gotten better with the latest ROM update. I could recomend it but I always let people know of the battery issue, screen responsiveness and still having problems with time issue here in Arizona (changes by an hour every once in a while for some reason).
eurofan said:
The Diamond is excellent if you can handle it meaning you have really get into tweaking. Out of the box I would not recommend it but if you are willing improve it on your own by using the helpful programs of this forum than it's an excellent choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that!!!
It wasn't great out of the box. But now.... I love tweaking/flashing and would recommend it to anyone.
Although, if your thinking of purchasing a diamond, personally, I would wait till the 'Touch Diamond 2' is released.
I agree with alot of the comments
Basically the HTC Diamond, or it many variants, is an excellent device (and I have had many many many devices).
What it has going for it:
1. Size
2. Weight
3. Fantastic screen
4. Looks nice and cute/good form factor
5. Well made
Issues:
6. Battery should have been bigger - not really an issue for me as I have a charger at work and home. I tend to charge every two days unless I have been using it intensly and then top up on the day (normally I top up if on 2 bars).
7. Shipped firmwares in the UK are mostly pants!
8. No card slot. Now I want to be clear about this, if you are just installing programs and/or data the 4GB storage is absolutely fine, more then enough in fact. It also is good for a small set of videos or music. However, if you want to store large amounts of music or videos then this device is not for you!
Basically, if you upgrade the Diamond after purchase to one of the more excellent ROMs on this site, it will have a beautiful display and quick response.
Also, note that, unlike something like the HTC Touch, this is a premium device. Which means it has nice touches like the stylus is held in magnetically and also, when you pull the stylus out it automatically switches the display on.
In terms of the Diamond 2 issue, that is obviously a better device, but the price will reflect it, and the HTC Diamond is now looking very good value. Personally, I like buying phones at the end of their run, as the firmware and price are the best.
Lastly, the HTC Diamond is a bit of a cult device. Why is this important ? Because it means that the support on xda-developers is much better then the less popular devices. As the HTC Diamond's price goes down, this will just increase.
best rgds
i just seriously love my diamond..the price on ebay is going down at a rapid pace n yeah..i love it bcoz of all the tweakin u can do on it..
man oh man..on which other device can u get a "not yet working" android os as well as some iphone like stuff for unlockin, music etc..n u can just about change everything thats on the phone..
tht may be coz its my first ever windows mobile phone n i was suprised by the remote desktop..use it to play poker on facebook now!! wanna view tv for uefa cup late at night..no problemo..n the autofocus camera with a beautiful vga screen adds as the biggest pro as i snap pics of my college assignments that are readable on its vga screen
i am a little disappointed with the touch screen though..cos when in remote desktop full screen, u cannot reach to the minimize, maximize n close buttons.. though u can use another software but its the touchscreen fault as the 4 corners of the screen are difficult to tap..
but overall im very satisfied n recommend it to all
The diamond rules!!! Buy one!! Buy one now :d
I just bought one cheap,don't like the diamond 2,it has no d-pad and looks a fair bit bigger.
The screen quality (colours and contrast)from what I've seen on youtube against the likes of the HD is what made me keen on it.
I have been using O2 flames for the last 2 years,so the battery life will be something I'm used to.
Hopefully it isn't like the atom life I bought and ended up selling within a week
gerryjoson said:
I just bought one cheap,don't like the diamond 2,it has no d-pad and looks a fair bit bigger.
The screen quality (colours and contrast)from what I've seen on youtube against the likes of the HD is what made me keen on it.
I have been using O2 flames for the last 2 years,so the battery life will be something I'm used to.
Hopefully it isn't like the atom life I bought and ended up selling within a week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good luck! the quality of the diamond is much nicer then the atom.
start off on a good foot with a good rom
had a diamond sinve day 1 of orange uk launch
once flashed........a great phone.
does everything i want and more....so its gets a 10/10 from me...
if thats worth anything to you
^^^ Fanboy...
My opinion is that the Diamond is a nice attractive phone in a good size. Having said that, there are 3 major flaws:
1. Battery life
2. Speed
3. Software
The software one is the most solvable, with the number of tweaks, ROMs and free apps available here. I've supplemented that with a large amount of commercial software in order to get the best possible experience but this is of course very expensive to do properly.
Diamond is very good phone, i think you will never regret if you will buy one.
About problem on screen and presure ( i have that problem ), i think it comes because, when need to open back for sim card or for battery. To open back we need to press screen.
Had a diamond around 9 or 10 months now, considered buying an HD or a few other wannabees but any time I consider buying a new phone I just need to look @ my diamond & I remember why it's so damn good, It's looks haven't been matched or surpassed yet & the so called newer updated htc 1's/ other makes aren't that much better IMHO in performance etc... oh yeah & their all big fat bricks !!!
I'm sticking to my precious DIAMOND for a while yet thx
Oh & BTW that htc update has finally finally fixed it's biggest/ annoying bug, my diamond hasn't skipped an mp3 track since I installed it, I think I'll keep mine forever now hehehehe...

New X1: Keep it or trade for Iphone?

So I just signed a 3 yr contract with Rogers and they are sending me an X1 in the mail. I'm having second thoughts about X1, after hearing about all the problems about it. I might send it back when it arrives and grab an Iphone 3G for the same price under the 15 day grace period. I've had a jailbroken Ipod touch for a while now, and I'm really impressed at what I can do with it and all the incredibly useful apps that you can get. i might add that I'm generally an Apple hater, but I loved this product. I initially got it for personal/car music, but it has been great as an organizer, surfing web, video, games, etc.
I thought the X1 looked like it would be an Iphone killer. It had better battery life, better camera, higher network speed, and simply looks better. The crumbling housings, and keyboard failures are HUGE turn-offs for me. I don't mind a couple of aesthetic cracks after prolonged usage, as long as it doesn't affect the functionality of the device, and if the keyboard problems aren't major.
If I do trade it for an Iphone 3G, I could jailbreak it. I could then get rid of the Ipod touch and ultimately have a good all in one device with it. I worry about the battery life because of this though. Also, the Iphone has the great "Navigon" GPS app.
So what I'm asking is:
1. are there any counter measures you X1 owners take to make it last for a very long time? (i.e. keyboard, housing)
2. would you guys have preferred a jailbroken Iphone over an X1? (can anybody comment on the battery life of the Iphone compared to the X1?)
3. how would you guys compare both devices' features, app availability, and just sheer lasting quality? (it seems like SE is cutting off support for the X1)
Overall, I love the X1's form factor, look and feel, specs, but I need this phone to last. The Iphone on the other hand, has an abundance of useful apps, smooth operation, reliability, customization, and continued software updates, but I heard some things about bad battery life, and I really hate that signature "Apple Iphone" look.
I'm sorry for the super long post, but this is an important choice I need to make, so any insight would be appreciated.
1. the cracking issues are mostly aesthetic, and internal ones at that. They don't impair functionality (unless the crack is in the stylus slot or something). You usually don't even see them unless you remove the battery cover. speaking of which, the battery cover's paint peels of easily, but they're cheap enough to replace, or you can easily refinish or repaint it. My X1 is now black and candy apple red (inspired by the Satio). Looks really, really, really great.
the keyboard wears out after about 6 months or so. All you need to do is clean it (from the inside, which can be a hassle if you don't want to) and it's good as new
the flex cable, though, is a more serious problem. if it wears out, you absolutely need to replace it or you won't be able to use landscape mode
2. Given the above, I still prefer the X1 over the iPhone. Better apps (75% of apple apps are "fart" apps), better screen, multitasking, stylus support, Flash, battery life, customizable look (manila, SPB, pointui), XDA support, etc. However, since you're used to your iTouch, you won't need to learn a whole new OS.
3. I plan to use the X1 for a year more or so. I get enough support here at xda-devs such that my phone has yet to be connected to SEUS at all (my old k850 would get SEUS once a month). I'm using WM "6.6" (6.5.3) while the newest phone that you buy right now only comes with 6.5.
4. I agree. I also don't like the iphone for the main reason that everyone wants one just to "look cool"
If you're into customizing/tinkering, get a WM phone. If you just want a phone out of the box with minimal fuss, get the iphone. And if you decide to go the WM route, I suggest you take the iphone, sell it, then get an HD2. the X1 has depreciated so much that it's only worth $200
I got my X1 earlier today. I haven't activated it with my sim yet, but I've been playing around with it all day. I really do love the look and feel of the unit overall, and the keyboard is great. It's a 09W44 batch and has a black plastic frame under battery cover instead of grey. It also has the "new design" frame; did I get a good unit?
I can see myself using the keyboard a lot for text, so I don't want it to fail. I really want to like this phone, but keyboard and flex cable failures sounds ridiculous for such an expensive phone. Are these occurrences uncommon, or are they inevitably going to happen to all units?
The iPhone's on screen keyboard works great, and I can't see of that ever failing. So what can I do with the X1 that makes it better than a jailbroken iPhone? The iphone has a lot of useful apps such as one for traffic in my city, and a public transit schedule; does windows mobile have good apps that can do this too? Also the ipod music player transitions between tracks a lot smoother than the X1. Battery life on the X1 has been great so far.
I really do want to keep the X1, and if I do, I might get a nice case to protect it. I've been using Sony Ericsson phones for years until my last one broke and was forced to use an old moto razr (which is VERY durable phone compared to my last SE). I might just go ahead and risk keeping the X1 and fix whatever happens down the road. Is this what most of you guys are doing as well? Is it worth doing this over getting and iPhone?
Rydock said:
I got my X1 earlier today. I haven't activated it with my sim yet, but I've been playing around with it all day. I really do love the look and feel of the unit overall, and the keyboard is great. It's a 09W44 batch and has a black plastic frame under battery cover instead of grey. It also has the "new design" frame; did I get a good unit?
I can see myself using the keyboard a lot for text, so I don't want it to fail. I really want to like this phone, but keyboard and flex cable failures sounds ridiculous for such an expensive phone. Are these occurrences uncommon, or are they inevitably going to happen to all units?
The iPhone's on screen keyboard works great, and I can't see of that ever failing. So what can I do with the X1 that makes it better than a jailbroken iPhone? The iphone has a lot of useful apps such as one for traffic in my city, and a public transit schedule; does windows mobile have good apps that can do this too? Also the ipod music player transitions between tracks a lot smoother than the X1. Battery life on the X1 has been great so far.
I really do want to keep the X1, and if I do, I might get a nice case to protect it. I've been using Sony Ericsson phones for years until my last one broke and was forced to use an old moto razr (which is VERY durable phone compared to my last SE). I might just go ahead and risk keeping the X1 and fix whatever happens down the road. Is this what most of you guys are doing as well? Is it worth doing this over getting and iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as much as i don't like the iphone - it would be the better choice. and harveydent's idea is good: get the iphone, sell it and buy a hd2!
apart from the hardware-issues already mentioned, with the x1 you get outdated specs and no more software-support by SE. (no firmware-update, no upgrade to winmo 6.5.x) they let this phone die end of march 2009 (last firmware) to protect and sell the x2. (you don't get the new x2-panels officially for example)
apart from officially running winmo 6.1 and the (in my opinion) useless panels the firmware is the major problem: it still has performance-problems. (meaning slow graphics drivers etc...) this is not really fixable with custom-roms. there's room for some tweaking (a lot, actually), but if the foundation isn't right...
sure, you can flash the newest winmo-leaks with the newest sense 2.5 (i know i do). but be prepared for a steep learning curve and lot of frustrating bug-fixing. (more often: wait for the cook to fix it with a new rom-version) there's always something not working, one bug get's fixed, another shows it's ugly head. and the endless flashing and hardreseting...
it's only for the past two weeks that for the very first time i have a rom where really everything works and which is running at great speed. but: i own this phone since march 3rd, 2009!
sure, i know a lot now about winmo 6.x, i can edit "light stuff" in manila-files, i have completely customized this phone to my likings. but apart from selling it i didn't really have a choice.
to think i'd have to start fresh now, with all these different winmo-branches and manila-builds out there - i wouldn't do it, knowing what i know now.
get the iphone and stay with it. or sell it for the hd2, it will get all 6.5.x-updates and maybe even an update to winmo 7.
The iPhone has more functionality these days due to its app store and accessories. Whether its making work related databases, or doing offline reading of the NY Times or most big periodicals, the iPhone can or can do it better than WM.
Just to drill into the 2 examples I used: I developed database software for medical research, and did so exclusively using WM. The software side of WM is terrible thesedays! The most recent database applications for WinMo are seriosly old, and developed when WM5 was around. On the other hand, database applications are new, easy to use, and much cheaper.
Example 2. You want to read the NY Times on your airplane ride? Have fun with RSS, and only picking up 2-3 lines of articles before you need online access. The nice thing about the iPhone is the major support for it from every company, so you just download the NY Times app, and all content for the past few days or however long you specifiy is available for free.
Yes, these are specific examples, but they should shed light on the current situation. The flip arguement whcih I'm sure will be expanded upon is mainly agaisnt iPhone lack of customisation, lack of standards support for thigs like bluetooth stacks, microSD, homescreen widgets, and being locke down by Apple.
Its up to you to figure out what's most important. Altough, if I were on Rogers, I would wait for the X10, which should have the best of both worlds...
i just got an x1 from rogers as well, and i too was concerned with the flex cable and keyboard problem but i decided to keep it anyway. One thing i did notice was that the flex cable seems to be reinforced now, not 100% sure though. Ive seen many pictures of the flex cable and its supposed to be yellowy orange. I used a flashlight to peek under the screen and its exactly that, except 90% of it is covered with a grey vinyl looking tape. Dont feel like taking it apart to make sure though.
I am selling my X1a right now. I got the iPhone 3GS last weekend
What a sigh of relief... speaker sounds great, no chance for cable issues, no possibility of phantom cracks, lots of apps, don't have to make 5 clicks just to turn my Bluetooth on/off, fast and lots of storage space. Best of all, I won't have to deal with incompetent SE support reps!
dorkster007 said:
I am selling my X1a right now. I got the iPhone 3GS last weekend
What a sigh of relief... speaker sounds great, no chance for cable issues, no possibility of phantom cracks, lots of apps, don't have to make 5 clicks just to turn my Bluetooth on/off, fast and lots of storage space. Best of all, I won't have to deal with incompetent SE support reps!
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Click to collapse
Speakers are terrible on both devices, no cable issues, the Xperia X1 has lots of storage space too.
Rydock said:
I can see myself using the keyboard a lot for text, so I don't want it to fail. I really want to like this phone, but keyboard and flex cable failures sounds ridiculous for such an expensive phone. Are these occurrences uncommon, or are they inevitably going to happen to all units?
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I don't know about the flex cable but I'm facing problems with the keyboard (and so are a lot of people from other forums I've been to as well). Got it repaired before the warranty expired but once again it's giving problems, such that I have no confidence in getting a X2. As much as I like having a keyboard, I might just go for a phone without a keyboard next, and the X10 and iPhone are two possibilities. So personally, I wouldn't recommend keeping the X1.
Thanks for all the great replies guys. Everybody (on here and IRL) is pretty much telling me to get the iPhone. One friend told me to just swallow my pride and get the iPhone because of its huge support base. After playing with the X1 some more, I found I really love this unit. It feels solid in my hands, but there are WAY too many reports of it's durability for me to trust it. It would be the best device, IMO, if it weren't for these problems.
I almost decided that I was going to keep the X1 for strictly phone, text, email, GPS, and mobile web purposes. And since I already have an iPod touch, I could use it for music, movies, and apple apps. I'd just be missing out on the GPS and 'away-from-wifi' web browsing, but the X1 does these just as well, right? Again, this gives me more to carry, but what I gain is a better multimedia player on the iPod, and better hardware on the X1 (camera, 3.5G phone, keyboard). I also won't be wasting battery listening to music on my phone. Almost the best of both worlds.
BUT after reading more replies, I just find it hard to justify having two devices when I could get everything I need on one simple unit (the iPhone). And the fact that they are both the same price, but you get way less hardware specs on the 3G. I'm now completely on the fence about this.
PsychoAssasin said:
One thing i did notice was that the flex cable seems to be reinforced now, not 100% sure though.
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Click to collapse
Can anybody confirm this? This would be great news!
Also, I found the speaker on the X1 sounded clearer, but the iPhone speaker was louder but lacked clarity.
X1 over iPhone
Well - that new design which is being delivered for a couple of month now does have a stronger keyboard-cable. We did order 4 devices for my employees a couple of weeks back and they all have the new design and the new cable. So if you have the new design, I would not worry about durability.
Since X2 has been announced the x1 has really dropped in price so it was a cheap pick up. Here in Germany the iPhone is much higher in price and only comes with ridigulous bundles.
I had my casing replaced (slight cracks) after almost two years of hard work every day and the keyboard-cable has been replaced also (warranty). I did not have any functunality issues up til now - the crack was just optical, but they replaced the casing anyway. Thanks SE.
Support personal from SE is not worth a call - but that is what XDA is for
Apple does have cool looking stuff (my wife got an iphone as a gift and is cursing because she misses the keyboard), but for my day to day work (Appointments, contacts, gathering data in Word or Excel...) I always would prefer WiMo up til now. Taking a look at the app-store does not make me jealous - most of it is unneccesary or just a waste of time.
So I stay with my X1 for now and wait for the next generation WiMo phones with WiMo7 or iPhone 4 - both should arrive end of 2010 or start of 2011.
Every step in between is covered by XDA
Rydock said:
3. how would you guys compare both devices' features, app availability, and just sheer lasting quality? (it seems like SE is cutting off support for the X1)
.
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Don't know if this will help but I wrote the following 10 months ago. At that time, I had both units, Iphone and X1A. Sorry for my english.
POST 1: some of the main X1 pro and cons
I have the american version (X1A) for 3 months now. This is my first WM phone and I am very picky with technology.
I wanted that phone so bad that I spent a lot of time and money to get it.
I really like that phone for all the reasons mentionned above and more. What I couldn’t find when browsing the reviews was a comprehensive list of the cons of this model. Here are my points:
1- Camera:
Not good enough: too slow to load, too slow to take a picture, requires favorable ambiant light condition to take a sharp picture.
Video acquisition is undersampled making your video files not very smooth.
2- Battery Life:
I usually disconnect the charge in the morning. I use the phone every day. I’d say average of 200 Mb of data per day, 30 minutes of voice per day, 15 minutes of gaming. At this rate, my battery drops dead at 6 PM. I should lower my data usage but this is why I’ve purchased the phone, I don’t want to minimize the data consumption accordingly to the specs of the phone.
Edit: same thing with the Iphone, actually same thing with any phone I know
3-WVGA screen:
By far the best screen ever, but too few applications supporting this resolution so far. This is actually frustrating because most of my apps runs VGA on 2 third of the screen, leaving one third blank. Ugly.
4- Speaker phone quality:
Mono… Sound quality is poor. I’ve compared side by side with the N95, it’s night and day. You'll also find an app to crank up the volume if you need it.
Everything else besides that is great. It is the best phone I have ever seen and I do not regret it. It is really fast, the keyboard is great, perfect for e-mails, internet browsing (Skyfire browser supports flash!!!), media handling and playing. Resistive touch screen is better than capacitive touch screen (you have to install a couple of apps first that give you feedback when you touch the screen and that minimize the pressure you have to put on the screen).
I have looked for this phone for months, I’ll be glad to share my experience to anyone who has questions about it.
POST 2: Iphone VS X1
It’s a difficult comparison. The two phones are very different because of the operating system. You can’t really compare them. The X1 is definitely orientated for business use and computer nerds that like tweaking their phones. The Iphone is orientated toward users that likes having a finished well working product
It is like comparing a PC and a gaming console. The gaming console will always have better game versions but you will be able to do more stuffs with the PC besides gaming.
To summarize:
Iphone apps and responsiveness is faster. Which makes it more comfortable
Iphone screen is larger, more convenient for movies and watching pictures.
X1 has a better resolution allowing it much sharper screen details.
But the Iphone OS is limited. As always with Apple, the product is a black box. Even if you jailbreak it, there is too many frustrating issues. The copy paste was one of these frustrating examples (fixed in 3.0).
I think all Iphones users experienced this frustration at least one time. There is something we’d like the Iphone to do but it can not because of limitation on the OS. Like GPS navigating, Skype, copy paste, TV streaming, custom ring tones, customs background etc etc… We have to wait Apple to fix them and that’s the big difference with Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile users will have these frustrations sorted out by themselves. There will be always a way to fix this and that , thanks to XDA-developper .Users will download the right patch or the right application. Finding it and installing it might be a nightmare for some users. Can be fun for others. But it will never be as easy as the Iphone app store.
Finally, I prefer my X1 because I am using it for business. I couldn’t do that with the Iphone.I like the X1 behaving like my PC. I have all my sales products/ customer databases / pricelist and Presentations on my X1.
Because it is Windows Mobile, I am browsing the files as I do on my PC and I like that. I instantly answer customers and attach brochures or documents along with my e-mails. I don’t use my laptop as I used to.
These are things I couldn’t do with the Iphone.
I would go back with the Iphone if Iphone would have a keyboard and Windows Mobile on it. But that will not happen so I am staying with my X1. It freezes sometimes, I have to reinstall some apps, I have to constantly monitor what goes in and where to optimize its speed. That sounds microsoft ****? Well it is, and I am so used to it that I feel good with it. Because it offers me endless possibilities to tweak it.
Cheers
Yann
I ♥ my X1.
It's so flexible to my needs i just can't live without it.
no idea about if its reinforced
but after i sent mine in for warrenty repair, i decided to put a bit of tape on mine to reinforce it anyway! i only did this because i was changing my housing as well. (nothing wrong with it, not a single crack after a year, i just scratched it up when i dropped it on the floor xD
I love my X1, and XDA keeps it updated, who cares about Sony Ericsson Updates.
I say keep the X1, and use your iPod too!
@RacloOne I agree a 100% what you say, Although Alot of your problems you mentioned with the X1 have easy software [email protected] I've had my X1i(My first WM phone ever) sense October 2009 and have never regretted the decision . This is my personnel opinion of the Iphone, I respect the gaming of the I-phone and how smooth the UI is but other than that it's a over hyped fashion statement. Majority the apps are useless and another way Apple can drain money out of you something they do best, The way they lock down/ Limit their OS is restarted. I find it silly to buy an I-phone when your Ipod touch is the same thing except it doesn't make calls. I'm was coming from the Rokr E6(A linux based phone/my first touchscreen phone ever) and people warned me about how bad WM is Bla Bla Bla, But I went ahead and bought it anyway because once I learned the ins and outs of WM like I did with Linux I would be able to have the phone live up to it's potential and it has. I'm not going to lie when I first got my phone it froze alot but that was because of the the sh!tty 6.1 after I got rid of 6.1 all that has stopped, As for the scratches I have dropped my phone a couple of times so I obviously expect scratches lol. Reading this thread is the First I heard of this Flex cable issue but looking at it seems mine is reinforced so idk but no problems at all up to now. Honestly bro I say keep your X1 because it's worth it and if you do I would personally help you with any issue because most likely a new user like yourself would have similar questions/ issues like me when I first started off.
Here is my summary of my major problems with the X1 and the fixes. You can see that for me, the only big problems that can not be fixed are the sluggishness and the camera.
1. Finger unfriendliness --> SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 + WM 6.5.5 (great combo)
2. Screen sensitivity --> X1 SoftTouch tweak
3. Small messed up screen area and messed up LED --> Repaired by SE
4. Keyboard letter repeat problem --> Repaired by SE
5. Sluggishness --> Tried all tweaks (slightly helpful), tried overclocking (great, but unstable), but still takes too long to accomplish certain tasks
5. Blurry indoor photos --> Set to sports mode + LED on but pictures too dim
Overall I'm very happy with the X1, but wish the X2 could have nailed all those problems. Oh well, waiting a year or two...
Thanks to you guys, I've decided on keeping the X1. The fact that I can come to XDA for support, potentially stronger unit, and that I have the iPod touch to feed my apple needs. I'm just glad to hear that some of you have owned the X1s for a long time and still working.
Viper139 said:
I had my casing replaced (slight cracks) after almost two years of hard work every day and the keyboard-cable has been replaced also (warranty). I did not have any functunality issues up til now - the crack was just optical, but they replaced the casing anyway. Thanks SE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get a warantee repair after two years? Or was that only for the keyboard cable?
Thanks to everybody who replied and help me make my decision and also for the iPhone comparison and the list of fixes.
Viper89 said:
Honestly bro I say keep your X1 because it's worth it and if you do I would personally help you with any issue because most likely a new user like yourself would have similar questions/ issues like me when I first started off.
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Click to collapse
I'll keep that in mind, thanks! I think I'm going to enjoy my stay here.
@Rydock I'm glad to hear your decision, Ya just Pm any time I'm always glad to help.
Same here. Enjoy!
Welcome to WinMo, and have fun obsessively tweaking and flashing your phone!

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