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This is more of a rant but I'm wondering how many people agree with me. I've been looking at current and upcoming phones to replace my ageing Wizard. It really sucks that manufactures of Windows Mobile phones can't come up with some new creative designs for ease of use instead of the typical PDA form factor!
I was playing with the Blackberry Perl recently and thinking to myself it would be an awesome form factor for a WM phone. The text entry is awesome on the Perl, much faster, easier on the fingers and you can type text pretty fast even with one hand. I had someone who was using it for a while type a paragraph to see how fast he could go and he blew me away. The number pad also makes it easier to make calls when you need to do it by hand instead of using Voice Command. If only it was running Windows Moble and had a touch screen. Even better a bigger screen and a slide out number pad.
Is it just me or do other people wish there was a phone like that. So far I'm looking at the HTC Trinity to replace my Wizard but I hate the form factor. It's just not easy to use with one hand even with the wheel. I was looking at the TyTn but I find I can type a lost faster with the stylus then with the keyboard on my wizard and it's pretty useless making calls quickly with the numbers on the keybard. Even the Treo keyboard sucks compared to the Perl's keyboard which uses two characters per button making it less finger movement.
If only someone could release something with the features of the Trinity in the form factor of the Perl. Samsung has come close they have a nice form factor with a slide out number pad, and someone could easily right software to emulate the Perls predictive text entry but unfortunately their devices are TriBand (I'm in North America) and are lacking in features.
I really wish someone would release a phone like I mentioned above!
Samsung i760, nuff said
Not bad Raven2000, I'd still like a Blackberry Pearl style number pad/entry but this exactly the kind of phone I'm looking for. Perfect in every way except last time I checked, it's TriBand meaning it's missing 850 band for North America
what about the Treo 750?
What about ASUS P525?
Not sure if its quad band, but it has the right form factor, as well as WIFI.
And I agree with you. PDA phones don't really need full QWERTY, specially since they come with built in T9 app anyway. The "phone pad" is the way to go.
TheBrit: Treo 750 still lacks features and square screen resolution (too small) but even if I could live with that, it's keyboard is about as useless as the wizards. It's amazing that everyone copies this design, it was amazing when there was nothing else to compare to it but it's really showing it's age.
levenum: This one is a possibility, I've been considering it, speed wise and screen size is good, wish it would be a little updated in the other specs (bluetooth ect)
What I really wish for is something like the O2 XDA Stealth or Samsung i760 in Quad Band and HSDPA. But the perfect phone would be something like this with a Blackberry Perl style number pad (2 letters per key)
I second levenum. Asus P525 is really what I like and I am seriously thinking of replacing my Jasjar with the P525. If only it was 3G and had EDGE the decision would have been much easier on me.
I think that the Asus P525 is one of the best devices but I still think the Hermes is the best device.
What I want is a ppc phone that has a screen around 20cm x 10cm that has vga res x 2 (ie like 2 screens together). I do not need the power of a tablet so a ppc device is perfect. The small phones are all nice but not that practicle for computing or video. I know that umpc's are going to do this kind of job, but I think the price is too high. To go with this fantasy would be a ppc version of evc++ compilers so I could do my programming anywhere (ie at work instead of working).
The Asus P525 looks like a good phone and has a nice design but the specs aren't all there. I'd still like something with a slide out number pad like the Samsung i760 with close the featueres of say the HTC Trinity, or at least have HSDPA along with the current gerneration features of a pocket pc.
shoey5 said:
I'd still like something with a slide out number pad
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O2 Stealth - but again the other specs aren't all there...
Well I wish the O2 phones were at least quad band, people outside of North America are so lucky. In North America the biggest feature manufactures look at is the colour of the phone. I guess as long as people keep buying pink razers it won't change.
I was looking at the Asus P525 as a possibility but unfortunately and just as I expected when I saw the keyboard, a lot of people say the little joystick between the number 2 and 5 keys make it a big hinderence. I guess HTC and other manufactures don't use Cell Phones because it's hard to see how they can see their designs being perfect as phones since they keep releasing the same formfactor with each generation. I guess all the phone manufacturing execs are walking around with Pink Razers
Well you can never satisfy everybody. Personally, I am very pleased with my Jamins, form factor (though as I wrote before the phone pad sliding or not is a good idea).
I actually got to play with a 525, though for only a brief time and I must say that the joystick is no real bother. Certainly not a reason to give up on this phone if other specifications are close or matching your needs.
levenum, I agree with you, can't ever be 100% satisfied. Here's the problem, I love my Wizard but based on using it, I've come up with a short list of must haves.
The number pad I find to be crucial, it's the one thing I miss about having a plain phone. I use Voice Commander and love it, could never use another phone without it (BTW, VC 1.6 with actual BT Support is out) But there are times when it's handy, you're driving and someone gives you a number (Voice Commander isn't always accurate) or you have to type a quick SMS. It's a lot easier to do with one hand and not even looking at the phone when you have a number pad. The touch screen number pad just doesn't cut it for this type of use.
I've been using Push Email another thing I can't live without anymore and I type a lot of emails. The Wizard and other long slide out keyboards suck, they are two big for two finger use. I can type faster with the Fitaly SIP (great application) and the stylus. So the numberpad and SmartKey entry method like the Blackberry Pearl would make the device more usable for emails. It would even be better than the sqished down keyboard of the Treo and Samsung phones. Less keys for 2 thumbs the better.
Quad band in a phone is something I need because of the phone networks where I live.
HDSPA is also something I'd like to see as my carrior is impleneting it this quarter.
Other than that, I can sacrifice a lot of things. Just kills me that these companies keep releasing the same Pocket PC form factor when I hear a lot of people saying they wish they had something that was more useable one handed.
I couldn't find the right place to put this thread, so I put it here in there general forum.
Any, I received my AT&T fuze today. I was using a BB Bold for a while, but I started missing WinMo.
Anyway, this fuze is nothing short of pathetic. My main gripe is the buttons just below the screen. The up/down/left/right buttons surronding the center button are absolutely awful. Right and especially left are almost impossible to push. Each time I try pushing the left button, I end up hitting the "home" button or "send" button. On the right, same thing, I end up pushing the back/ok button, and the end button. Its almost impossible to push the left arrow button.
I must say that BB's hardware eats any WinMo phone for dinner that I have seen. On the other hand, I like Winmo's OS much better than BB's OS.
Does anyone know of a solution for these awful buttons?
Also, I wouldn't mind changing phones. I just want a WinMo phone with TV-Out. The fuze has it. Any others?
I had an issue with the directional buttons, then realized I never had to use them ever again with a touchscreen.
They're completely pulled from the Touch Pro 2 (the Fuze is the original Touch Pro rebranded) as well as that center button, because they're kind of pointless to have on a PPC device.
The thing I hated about the Fuze was the PTT button being incredibly sensitive. I'd hit it a few hundred times a day and get the "PTT CHARGES MAY APPLY, JERKFACE" message.
I currently have an Xperia, and the only button I use is the hangup button to send me back to my home screen. Everything else just clutters the face.
your welcome
http://www.fuzemobility.com/learn-the-att-fuze-htc-touch-pro-d-pad-sweet-spot/
Thanks for the link, I will try it.
toiletduk,
Thanks, but I HATE touchscreen, I like buttons.
george9999 said:
...
I must say that BB's hardware eats any WinMo phone for dinner that I have seen. .....
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bit of a bold statement don't you think? Used them all have you? Every Winmo phone? Really? You sure? Wonder how many you have actually seen?
Monty Burns said:
bit of a bold statement don't you think? Used them all have you? Every Winmo phone? Really? You sure? Wonder how many you have actually seen?
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Click to collapse
I am 100% sure. And here is the list of the WinMo phones that I have owned:
IPaq (forgot the model) from waaaay back.
XDA Exec - Way to big
Palm Treo 750 - Was ok, but got old
AT&T Tilt Kaiser - Got old and too big
Palm Treo Pro - QWERTY keyboard was meant for baby sized fingers.
AT&T Fuze - Buttons are absolutely awful.
I think that qualifies me to have a valid opinion.
Like I said, I like the WinMo OS much better, but as for hardware, WinMo phones are awful. Mainly due to the touch screen, and now more recently that they are all trying to make pathetic imitations of the already lousy iphone.
This Fuze is absolutely loaded, and blows away almost any other phone that I have ever had features-wise. But the problem is that the buttons are so rediculously close, that it becomes very hard to use. Everything I do, I feel like I am playing the old kids game "operation". Hitting the sides is like hitting the wrong button on this phone. Whenever I speak on the phone, my face opens and closes a bunch of applications.
Why the hell do we still need styli. A trackball like blackberry would be much better.
Give me a good Winmo phone with the following, and I will buy it now!
3.5G Speed GSM that works in both US and Europe.
GPS
Wifi
Querty keyboard like palm treo (slider ok, but not if it means I have to rotate the phone sideways)
Real buttons, not flush buttons that make the phone look cool, but unusable and unpractical.
TV Out - This is the real hard to find one.
george9999 said:
toiletduk,
Thanks, but I HATE touchscreen, I like buttons.
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Click to collapse
Then a PocketPC is not for you. I would suggest something like the Samsung Jack or Epix, as they're WM Standard devices.
toiletduk said:
Then a PocketPC is not for you. I would suggest something like the Samsung Jack or Epix, as they're WM Standard devices.
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I thought of that, but from what I understood (I may be wrong), the non pocket-pc versions of winmo are watered down versions, and a lot of the software doesn't work. I really liked the jack when I saw it. Any chance it has tv out?
That's really the problem.
You're not going to find TV Out on any WM Standard devices that I know of, and WM Pro is designed around use of the touchscreen. Standard is designed to compete with the Blackberry, which no models have TV Out that I know of as well. Pro is more geared to be the jack of all trades device for the end user and the corporate user.
And to correct my prior post, the Epix is a Pro device.
I was pretty anti-touchscreen for a while, but I got annoyed with scrolling around on my BlackJack II with the d-pad/wheel.
I ended up getting a Fuze for a while before I switched to an Xperia X1, and I can't really go back to a non-touchscreen device. Navigation is a lot faster with that interface, even if you're going one handed, and things become a lot less of a chore to do.
I could live with the fuse if the buttons we easier to click. Even playing Ms. Pac Man which comes with it from AT&T is almost impossible since my fingers keept hitting the 4 corner buttons by accident.
Maybe I'll try the experia. Does it have TV out?
Also, since I am still with the fuze, how do i lock the touchscreen when talking on the phone? The Palm pro had this option, so I am assuming that it is possible.
Thanks for the tips.
I was wondering what phone to get either the Touch pro or palm pre... I have a sero account right now but im willing to switch plans for the pre. I have a motorola q right now and its a pos lol always crashing and whatnot. Can anyone that have experience with both phones tell me which one is better? I used the pre at the sprint store and liked it and i have played a little with the TP but i found the touch screen doesn't seem to work very good is this something a custom rom would fix? I can get a Touch pro off ebay for the same price as the pre on a 2 year contract.
Welcome to forums
Go for touch pro 2
You´ll have as an extra added value the great support of this site, with pre you won´t
when does the tp2 come out? i've been trying to find a release date for it but havnt found anything so far.
It´s already on sale since 1st days of july
That will depend on what part of the world you live in, but you can always buy it online!!
Palm Pre or HTC TOUCH PRO (I/II)
I think it totally depends on the reasons for which you intend to use the prospective phone. For example, if you are primarily looking to use the phone for voice calls and internet service and that is all, the Pre becomes a very attrative option (notwithstanding allegations of design and manufacturing defects in relation to the device's housing, LCD, keyboard, and sliding mechanism. See ZDNET.com and conduct a search with this in mind.) Assuming those alleged issues are either non-issues or have been resolved, the Pre seems to be ideal for the non-power user. Beware however, I understand the Pre does NOT have Bluetooth capacity. This, it seems to me, could pose to be a deal-breaker for a number of users who rely heavily on Bluetooth headsets, REDFLY Mobile Companions, remote contact synchronization, and add-on QWERTY/Mice solutions.
As to the Htc Touch Pro line of devices and their varied analogs: There has been some allegations of slow performance notwithstanding the processor installed therein. In fact, I've tested the Diamond (I) and Pro(I) extensively and found the Pro(I) to be significantly zippier than the Diamond (I). But if you consider the impending release of devices such as the Toshiba TG01 and HTC THOTH (fouth in the Advantage line of devices) both of which are slated to sport 1GHz processors and greater than 4" displays. This is quite compelling when you consider the existing specs of the Pro(I) and Pro(II). Conversely, the Palm PRE is a tiny little package for what you get and all that it does to simplify how users interface with the phone. Toward that end, I recommend comparing the Palm Pre with the SAMSUNG S30. Also use caution when signing two-year agreements that fundamentaly change your rates, data access terms, and do so as a REQUIREMENT to getting the phone AT ALL within your upgrade eligibility.
SOLUTION: I recommend getting either a Toshiba TG01 or HTC THOTH if you are a "super-duper" power user. If you are a regular power user, get the HTC Touch PRO (II), (I), or something in the Diamond line of devices (in that order). THEN, go to palm's open source website, and download the background picture of the "Today Screen" for the Palm Pre. Open the cab file in the Pro's Picture/Video application. From the right menu option, choose the option to set that picture as your today screen, reducing the brightness according to taste. Then, go to your TouchFLO 3D settings and do the same. Presto! You have an HTC TOUCH PRO series device and all the beauty that can be found in any of the ROMs herein at your disposal. Be sure to donate accordingly. Plus you have it with the Pre "look and feel". Alternatively, you could (if relatively industrious) snag a copy of TealPoint's TealOS, and try running it's trial version on an old compatible Palm device if you have one collecting dust, just to see if you would indeed enjoy the interface, or get tired of it after a while. I do both of these options in re my Touch Pro (I) and Palm LifeDrive. My LifeDrive is the largest Palm Pre human-kind will never know. It's actually quite novel. I think of it as my "Jump-Drive-With-A-Touchscreen", As I also run ANDROID on both devices, I have a "dual-OS" for each--providing a measure of continuity between the two. Again, it's not overkill, because to me, the LD is just the mother of all jump-drives--nothing more.
Hope this discussion helped and these examples provide you with useful ideas. Keep in mind, above all, give some real thought and reflection to exactly what kind of "user" you actually are, not what you want to be or would like to think of yourself as being. If the most you do on a daily basis is make calls and surf the net . . . I'd be dubious of making a substantial investment into ANY phone that provides "everything & the kitchen sink". Do not for that matter, be overly swayed by hardware-based QWERTY keyboards included thereon. Virtual keyboards are getting better and better these days--and if the keyboard is there, eating up some memory anyway, us might as well use it. I think you'll be surprised even with a hardware QWERTY, how much LESS you end up using it than anticipated.
Good luck to you,
LWBIIPLLC
LWBIIPLLC said:
Virtual keyboards are getting better and better these days--and if the keyboard is there, eating up some memory anyway, us might as well use it. I think you'll be surprised even with a hardware QWERTY, how much LESS you end up using it than anticipated.
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I must disagree with that statement
I have used/tested a lot of non hardware keyboard devices and to this date there is no better way to type on a device than with a hardware keyboard.
As stated above, all will depend on the use you´ll give to a device, but believe me, if you are thinking on typing a lot (SMS, email) I recommend you a hardware keyboard device.
Just my opinion based on my experience...
"Hard" vrs. "Soft" Keyboards & Choice of Device
I DON'T disagree with Orb in contending hard keyboards are "preferred" to soft keyboards in so far as this agrees with the USER'S customary use. I simply stated that hard keyboards are not the be-all-end-all and should not be the SOLE and DETERMINING factor when one chooses his or her device.
Clearly each pose difficulties. This is why we see so many of us installing a number of keyboard software applications on our devices. As within even the micro-analysis of software, we often find one modality to work better given the pressures of the task at hand. (eg. while the Touch Full Keyboard is outstanding in its large virtual keys, and so too are others such as TouchPal, Spb's Keyboard, etc. these don't allow for easy cut and past and copying; much less selective highlighting using the Ctrl key). Hence, as I do this kind of task a lot in my line of work, I end up using what I originally thought was THE most useless keyboard on my Touch Pro. Similarly, if you are a person who enters numbers quite a bit, I doubt you want to constantly want to select a specific number pad that then disappears upon entry of each number. Additionally, the applications you use are a large factor that effect how you enter information on your device. How many of us with full hard QWERTY keyboards choose to slide rather than to hit our front panel and dial by screen when dialing a number not in our contacts? But Orb is right . . . when texting and writing anything of any substance, you will quickly get frustrated with a software based keyboard. But expanding on Orb's astute observations, if it is indeed the case that you must frequently do a lot of data entry or pros writing, and you've assessed your "usage trends" accurately, then I agree and FURTHER recommend an extended keyboard via bluetooth, such as a Stowaway BT keyboarde or iTech Laser VKB/Celluon CL850 VKB, or a REDFLY Mobile Companion terminal. That said, none of this discussion even tinkers with the notion of use of a "transcriber" for handwritten text entry. Finally, one has to consider frankly, in the event such text entry is such a predominant task, whether one should be performing a task of that kind on a "phone" versus a more text-friendly device. Remember when we all got excited when it was alleged that we can work up PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets on our phones? And then they gave us a tiny virtual keyboard to do it. Did the prospect of performing such tasks get substancially more attractive WITH a hardware keyboard? Admitedly . . . yes. But did we have a measure of "let-down" when the task did not prove effortless even with the hardware QWERTY? I still contend I and others did get let down a bit. So now, the name of the game is: Adaptation.
In the world of technology, I contend Darwinianism does not apply. It is not a question of survival of the fittest. It is a quesiton of who and what devices can "adapt" to the changing needs of the consumer; indeed the specific needs of a specific user as a specific situation may so require. Or are there still those who would contend otherwise: that it is nevertheless feasible to bring an Elephant Gun to an Easter Egg Hunt? Unless the eggs are Dinosaur eggs. ; ) LWBIIPLLC
orb3000 said:
I must disagree with that statement
I have used/tested a lot of non hardware keyboard devices and to this date there is no better way to type on a device than with a hardware keyboard.
As stated above, all will depend on the use you´ll give to a device, but believe me, if you are thinking on typing a lot (SMS, email) I recommend you a hardware keyboard device.
Just my opinion based on my experience...
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Very true
take a close look at pre keys. they are crap. as bad as the blackberrys.
forget both and go with tp2
it has the best keyboard ever
in us you can pick up now at tmobile if you dont mind the ****ty service.
i am waiting for verizon, but both sprint and Verizon will have it soon
cyberhern said:
Very true
take a close look at pre keys. they are crap. as bad as the blackberrys.
forget both and go with tp2
it has the best keyboard ever
in us you can pick up now at tmobile if you dont mind the ****ty service.
i am waiting for verizon, but both sprint and Verizon will have it soon
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Click to collapse
Correction: The best keyboard ever is the one from Universal!!
orb3000 said:
Correction: The best keyboard ever is the one from Universal!!
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Click to collapse
Then you should try the keyboard for the unlocked TP2.
Just registered here and was looking for a discussion similar to this. I am going to try to talk T-Mo USA into letting me upgrade next month as I just went through 2 BlackBerry 8120s in 14 months. I am liking the TP2 but they also have the Dash 3G.
A few questions:
1. What is the keyboard like? T-Mo doesn't have any dummy phones in stock so I can't try it out. I text/IM/email/social network all the time.
2. What Twitter and MySpace apps do you all recommend? I have already picked out what I want to use for IM (BeeJive for WM). I am also going to get the FaceBook WM app.
3. Any other things I need to be aware of before getting either one? Upgrade capability to WM 7?
4. Which device would actually fit my needs better due to the questions above?
EricaJ1073 said:
Just registered here and was looking for a discussion similar to this. I am going to try to talk T-Mo USA into letting me upgrade next month as I just went through 2 BlackBerry 8120s in 14 months. I am liking the TP2 but they also have the Dash 3G.
A few questions:
1. What is the keyboard like? T-Mo doesn't have any dummy phones in stock so I can't try it out. I text/IM/email/social network all the time.
2. What Twitter and MySpace apps do you all recommend? I have already picked out what I want to use for IM (BeeJive for WM). I am also going to get the FaceBook WM app.
3. Any other things I need to be aware of before getting either one? Upgrade capability to WM 7?
4. Which device would actually fit my needs better due to the questions above?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The keyboard is a very responsive and well spaced keys compared with the Touch Pro keyboard, with the freature of the tilting screen like the Kaiser. With the retro light became a very good keyboard to use everytime and every day.
2. Facebook App you already have it with the HTC equipment. It's preinstaled. If yoo have the Messenger, IM already also in the phone software.
3. WM7 will be for sure compatible, but not in official rom (with the Touch Pro2 and Diamond 2 you get the free update for the 6.5 in end september/october. WM7 problably only with cooked roms.
4. HTC Touch Pro2 for sure.
Just wondering why you chose Fuze/Touch-pro over Iphone.
For me 3 major reasons in order of importance:
Size: I just cannot accept the size of an Iphone. I believe in a small device with great capabilities that will nicely fit in my pocket.
Bluetooth Stereo: Bluetooth A2DP support was NOT native to Iphone at that time. Did not want to add and an UGLY connector to get bluetooth music streaming either
Not an Iphone fan boy: Never carried an Ipod nor had a Mac. Its too overrated and is more of a fashion statement. I just cant see the cool factor in Apple products.
Whats your reason?
#1: this forum
#2: can't type texts without a hardware keyboard when i'm drunk
#3: tp is my 3rd htc phone
price would also be a factor
iphones without a tariff is a lot more expensive then a touch pro without a tariff
Welll, in random order
#: xda-devs support
#: custom roms
#: HTC user since 2005
#: size and h/w keyboard
and most of all
#: never was a fan of (maybe powerful but) overrated trendy devices over powerful business ones, end of story.
iPhone may be a "powerful" device, which can provide a similar experience to WM (or even better, that's a subjective matter). However the fact that the device itself is locked, and does not allow you to experience it fully (and I mean things which are supposed to be standard in smartphones, like multitasking) without jailbreaking it, tells me one thing and one thing only: that Apple does not respect it's customers.
For me it was a matter of carrier, and the 5-way navigator, because aside from those factors my Touch Pro is almost the same as an iPhone anyways with all the skins and mods
1. iPhone is 44% higher than my Touch Pro discounted Sprint monthly Everything Plan.
2. iPhone doesn't have a physical keyboard vs. huge Touch Pro keys.
3. iPhone has zero customability. "There's an app for that" means nothing to me. Energy 6.5 with Sense2.5 ROM means a whole lot more.
Sadly I feel the opposite way. I'm thinking of selling my Fuze just because support for it sucks lets face it. Theres no where near the amount of developers for windows mobile as there is for the iphone. I find myself using my ipod touch way more than my fuze and the only thing I cant do on my ipod is make calls. Sure theres no hardware keyboard and its nice to have one but I could live without. One thing that kills me the most is the screen, its almost unbearable using my phone after I use my ipod but thats to be expected since they're different tech. But over all I find myself not liking my phone more and more everyday and I dont think its going to change. I think Im going to submit to apple with the next refresh of the iphone simply because Apple is the juggernaut of smart phones at this time. Until they find a way to standardize android its not going to shine, I truly think fragmentation is going to kill it and if it doesn't kill it, it will always be that other OS. And WP7 is a mess. For one I dont have a Facebook or any other social networking crap, nor do I have an xbox so all that integration is useless to me. Not to mention that the UI looks terrible. But thats my look on things and unfortunately the way things keep going I dont think its going to change.
VibrantRedGT said:
3. iPhone has zero customability. "There's an app for that" means nothing to me. Energy 6.5 with Sense2.5 ROM means a whole lot more.
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^^^^THIS^^^^
nagle3092 said:
Sadly I feel the opposite way. I'm thinking of selling my Fuze just because support for it sucks lets face it. Theres no where near the amount of developers for windows mobile as there is for the iphone. I find myself using my ipod touch way more than my fuze and the only thing I cant do on my ipod is make calls. Sure theres no hardware keyboard and its nice to have one but I could live without. One thing that kills me the most is the screen, its almost unbearable using my phone after I use my ipod but thats to be expected since they're different tech. But over all I find myself not liking my phone more and more everyday and I dont think its going to change. I think Im going to submit to apple with the next refresh of the iphone simply because Apple is the juggernaut of smart phones at this time. Until they find a way to standardize android its not going to shine, I truly think fragmentation is going to kill it and if it doesn't kill it, it will always be that other OS. And WP7 is a mess. For one I dont have a Facebook or any other social networking crap, nor do I have an xbox so all that integration is useless to me. Not to mention that the UI looks terrible. But thats my look on things and unfortunately the way things keep going I dont think its going to change.
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I'm sorry.....but April fools was on the 1st.
For myself it's all of what this guy says (from 3:40-4:00) in this iphone review "The Gadget Show" on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bumP10hUaVs, and more.
When I think of iphone...I can't help of think of the Will Smith movie iRobot. I have thoughts of Apple trying to brain wash me into thinking that it's the only phone I need and I don't need to think for myself because "there's an app for that". It want's me to drop my guard and completely trust that it can run my life with only finger swipes across the screen yet.....it will not let me have a close relationship with by shutting me out of it's inner workings (battery replacement, removable storage). It try's to keep me hanging by a thread just strong enough to stay attached for a new version with "innovative" abilities like "copy and paste". It's true colors are hard to see through it's colorful ads and apps.
1: size
2: its need to always be on the net
3: can't sync calendar, contacts w/out using iTunes, which I cannot stand
4: can't multitask apps
I have both a fuze and an iPhone 3G (from my son when he moved to 3Gs.) Both phones are jail broken, so I decided to use the iPhone with an international SIM while traveling. I was really (&**&(*^( t'd off when I noticed that it always connects, thus incurring international data roaming charges. There's no way to make it not "call home" for one reason or another (checking if there's something new in app store, etc.) unless you tweak connectivity, block almost every app, or install some "firewall" to block all traffic. That just sucks if you travel a lot. ATT warned me, but I didn't think it was that bad.
International roaming data charges are nothing to mess with. I've never used an iphone, but I've heard that many of the apps are web-based widgets. One of the problems with not having things like a native file explorer is that if you download an app, you can't look in program files to see what the hell you just downloaded. You'd know if it was just a web app on winmo pretty easily, but I'm sure it's hard to keep track of everything loaded on an iphone.
I went from an iphone 3G to a Fuze to a 3GS to a Tilt2 back to a Fuze with a Bold 9000 in there at some point as well.
I can't do without the physical keypad. I email on the go a lot with my phone, and I just can't get used to virtual keyboards. Just can't do it. I'm also a sports nut, so browser navigating ability needs to be on point, meaning I need a touch screen. Now, I'll admit the iPhone's capacative touch screen beats the hell out of the pressure sensitive ones, although they'll get a lot better with some of the tweaks and ROMs available. There's no lag when you use the iphone's screen (although the newest ROMs for the Fuze have done a great job closing that gap, but it's still very much present). I miss that and the myriad of apps.
I really do hate Apple, what they did with the priority bandwidth with AT&T, and the fact they can't and absolutely won't support flash, along with that internal battery and no storage card. They could easily provide these features, but they don't simply because they don't HAVE to in order to sell the product. But, the iphone does what it does incredibly well. I'll concede to that.
I went back to the Fuze from my Tilt2 because I was pretty pissed that the hardware wasn't really upgraded much between those models. That was an unpleasant surprise. Also, the Fuze is SOLID. It's a beast, the tracks don't have tight tolerances, and the case is thick with robust corners. Plus, the Android development for the Fuze seemed to be further along than for the Tilt2. Also, when typing on the hardware keyboard for the Raphael, your thumbs do all the moving, and your hands don't. The Rhodium's bigger layout is nicer in that you hit the wrong key much less; however, you're moving your hands a lot too. I didn't like that. ROMs are also getting ridiculously good for WinMo devices.
Let's be honest; what the iPhone does, it does incredibly well, and if I didn't have needs (HW keypad) that it didn't meet, I would still have it, even though the Apple logo itself makes me want to kill a hippie every time I see it.
1. I'm used to Windows Mobile, having used it on a PDA for several years
2. Getting a refurbished Fuze through AT&T with an Employee Purchase and a 2 year contract brought the price of the Fuze down to a rather attractive $0.
Fate was kind to me. I'm glad to have stumbled upon the Fuze.
Mainly the Hardware Keyboard, but all-in-all, I simply love HTC devices.
Oh, and the Hardware Specs were actually pretty good for the Fuze, not the best, but for a device with a hardware keyboard, not bad.
I originally bought my Fuze because of the hardware keyboard. 6 months later, I bought an iPhone 3GS. I liked the Fuze for the most part, I just couldn't take WM anymore. With the stock firmware, my battery would not last a day. Timlol's stock like firmware made the battery life bearable and the device much more usable. But in the end, it was the limitations of WM that made me switch. It is nice having a browser that works, a mail client that can display messages and not move to the next message when you accidently move your finger sideways, a well stocked app store and a touchscreen that actually responds properly to touch.
I still have my Fuze and will use it to play around with the current Android project, but for day to day use as a phone and data device, the iPhone is it.
On your poll it was a hard toss-up between "Hate Apple products" and the "Other options (cooked ROMs, Android etc)".
My biggest factor was that it was more open to open source and cracked (aka free) software, and more moddifications that could be done to the firmware. The reason this could be done is because its not an Apple product.
This has been rumored for a while now, but this seems to be more concrete:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...android-phone-the-priv-will-launch-this-year/
BTW, this place has been completely dead for a few weeks now, and the last nightly is dated Sept 6. I tried several months back to start building my own ROM images, but before I got all the way there, someone else stepped up. Before you vanish completely, I might like to try this again, especially if someone can help me get started. I remember one file in particular that I don't know if I did correctly, perhaps it was "local.manifest", or something like that. If I can get running, with a bit of assistance, I can start putting up nightlies, if not nightly, at least at some interval.
I dunno, I kinda don't like the way the keyboard is. The keys seems too small. I'd like a keyboard in landscape mode.
Also, being by blackberry means rooting won't be as easy.
I couldn't agree more with you tpmjb about wanting a landscape keyboard phone, but i think this a big move for blackberry and warrants our support if we ever want to see another qwerty android device ever. The priv is getting allot of press and i think allot of people are excited about it. I also believe that the capacitative thingy for s6 was made because they heard about it ahead of time.
chuckiev79 said:
I couldn't agree more with you tpmjb about wanting a landscape keyboard phone, but i think this a big move for blackberry and warrants our support if we ever want to see another qwerty android device ever. The priv is getting allot of press and i think allot of people are excited about it. I also believe that the capacitative thingy for s6 was made because they heard about it ahead of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I changed my mind, I'm buying the Blackberry Priv. I figure it will be rooted before too long, and I'll probably get used to the keyboard. Also, this phone has severe problems with GPS, which I use to get around everywhere.
At $700, very few people will be purchasing a Priv. There will be no development community for the device.
There are plenty of people that want a keyboard, but that desire will not make hundreds of additional dollars magically materialize.
Furthermore, a $700 device should have 4GB and an 810 under the hood. The Priv forces compromise with 3 gigs and an 808.
QWERTY is dead.
No designated number row.... the main reason I chose the Relay over the Glide... well, that and lack of bluetooth phone calls in jb4.1+
I've been following the blackberry for a while and the rumors of them going android, really hoping somebody comes out with a horizontal slider.
Rumors say it has dual boot os. Android and bbos10
orange808 said:
At $700, very few people will be purchasing a Priv. There will be no development community for the device.
There are plenty of people that want a keyboard, but that desire will not make hundreds of additional dollars magically materialize.
Furthermore, a $700 device should have 4GB and an 810 under the hood. The Priv forces compromise with 3 gigs and an 808.
QWERTY is dead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you buy a Samsung Galaxy S6, you can take advantage of certain economies of massive scale. If you choose a Priv, the economies of scale aren't the same. And so you won't get the same value for money.
Still, the price of the Priv will fall over time.
Plus, I suspect that, six months or a year after its release, it'll be possible to buy a used or refurbished Priv for far less than $700. Then you can use your Priv with a deep-discount carrier — a carrier which doesn't offer handset subsidies, but which offers ultra-cheap plans.
Alternatively, if you're with a carrier which offers handset subsidies, you may be able to sign a long-term contract and buy a heavily-discounted Priv. You can then pay your carrier back over time.
Looks cool but its t9 not qwerty
http://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_w2016_highend_clamshell_gets_official_in_china-news-15129.php
orange808 said:
At $700, very few people will be purchasing a Priv. There will be no development community for the device.
There are plenty of people that want a keyboard, but that desire will not make hundreds of additional dollars magically materialize.
Furthermore, a $700 device should have 4GB and an 810 under the hood. The Priv forces compromise with 3 gigs and an 808.
QWERTY is dead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually SD808 is atleast as good as SD810 or even better. SD810 is thorttling too much and it is not stable in every day use. Take a look at here: Thermal Throttling – Which SOC’s are the Worst Offenders.
Qwerty sliders are dying but you have to be creative. I modded my own qwerty slider from Xiaomi Mi4C and iPhone 6 bluetooth keyboard case: Qwerty Keyboard Slider [DIY]
phred14 said:
This has been rumored for a while now, but this seems to be more concrete:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...android-phone-the-priv-will-launch-this-year/
BTW, this place has been completely dead for a few weeks now, and the last nightly is dated Sept 6. I tried several months back to start building my own ROM images, but before I got all the way there, someone else stepped up. Before you vanish completely, I might like to try this again, especially if someone can help me get started. I remember one file in particular that I don't know if I did correctly, perhaps it was "local.manifest", or something like that. If I can get running, with a bit of assistance, I can start putting up nightlies, if not nightly, at least at some interval.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know why they even came out with Priv cause there was already Q5 & Q10...and on top of that most big shot Companies think people (Or everyone is a Text-Crazed Teenager) only use phones for texting and emails... ... ...those are pretty much the same and most simplistic things people will do with a phone besides Facebook... BLACKBERRY, MOTOROLA, SAMSUNG...I use my Relay at one point to replace my Computer (Dell D800 which start to run at 600MHz and 1GB RAM)...Stop with this Marketing Target business.
We the customer aren't Programmers or Teenagers, we don't need an iPhone or Phones that match with what we wear (Motorola)...we need Convenience...hence why you -blackberry- lost the market cause you keep pushing out small screen -but bigger than Nokia- phones that didn't really improve much (NO NUMROW, worst is the Sony Xperia sk17 (Mini Pro, 3") and sk16 (Pro, 3.7"), both have the exact same keyboard...3.7" and they didn't put Numrow or Okay Button). Had they had the size of a S3 or a 4" screen-phone-size with the Keyboard or not make the mistake like Symbian -Nokia E6, Touch with Buttons on Screen design for DPAD- they couldn't lose there market, but Priv is show us how Blackberry needs to let go or improve its model, not make more nostalgia (I don't know if that is right) while thinking its the big screen that everyone loves (If iPod had a Stylus instead of Touch, people would look at that like its a Color Palm Pilot...as where touch is better based how you control it).
Me when I saw Passport and Priv, I laughed my butt off, only Trenders will buy. I was even thinking Blackberry was going to actually come out with a Landscape Slider at one point and make a video with the Song "I want to know that, want to know that, will you Love me Again" playing...but snap Blackberry, Storm (My Twin Sister first Bought it, I wasn't even into Phones until 2012...born 1992 and got a Relay in 2015...made in 2012) was fail for me cause of putting 1 clicker in the Center of phone instead of 9-13 or 16-20 (Top/Mid/Bottom+Left/Center/Right to Between Center/Corner=4 or to Quarter of Size or to Fifth of Size or even put more at the bottom for the keyboard)...you guys should have built a fake plastic prototype of that feature (1 Hard Clicker to 13 Mid-Soft Clickers unless the 1 made it seem hard) cause had it not failed it would have been like iPhone 6 pressure screen...
Blackberry thinks that only 1 Phone is the Best, but Truly they Grew when you went from Pearl to Bold, etc and bold to Q5/10 (Had they made Torch like that), but Priv or Private -as I call it if it becomes Landscape Slider then Lieutenant and Colonel- is why Blackberry shouldn't design Hardware Form.
They are 100% correct about software cause I can Play PSP and Edit Word Docs on my Android and Hackers figured out a way to play all PS1 on PSP, but Sony's Devs couldn't (Embarrassing).
The only reason I have a PC is literally cause I'm doing online schooling and the website needs Internet Explorer or Google Chrome or else the interaction might slip up on a Mobile Device...other than that the only reason I bought a Vostro 14 is because it can play PS3 equivalent games (Skyrim, Saints Row, etc)...so I don't need a PC or the Lastest Android (GingerBread was my World and now JellyBean, in fact an LG Ahola has a keyboard with Prediction, where as my Relay doesn't...Relay is 4.1.2 and LG Ahola is 2.1 with 600Mhz CPU & 256MB RAM...it really depends on how you design it...even Motorola Defy Pro had it too...also Relay doesn't have a OKAY Button so if I highlight/select text (Shift+Left/Right) with Keyboard and touch to use Copy/Cut, the selected text disappears)
And funny thing today -Octo-core is 2xQuad-core CPU with 4 low & 4 high power- same thing I said ever since I got my first Phone -A Nokia 5000-6000series- I need something for note taking and I'm pretty sure that doesn't require a very fast Computer or computer at all (Cause now Tech is getting better)...if anyone is smart they stop with Big Screens and go to built-in Project-on-to-screen-like-a-flashlight or Project-to-a-screen-via-cable...cause I once saw a Phone design as Processor that goes into a Tablet...
There are so many things and ways of doing any thing, but Blackberry choose Portrait Slider...over Landscape and no alternative...when they've been using Landscape the Whole time (I know this contradicts before, but not increasing the Screen Size is what was Blackberry's Downfall)...In fact I just realize when has Portrait been used in an electronic besides Reading Text Material (Like on actual Paper) cause Televisions and Computers don't have Portrait Screens, I would use Word Doc and Landscape Shaped Window even if page is Portrait and the thing I see most people use big scr.een phones for is Videos...in Landscape...I read my Comics in Landscape (Cause Portrait is small).
Portrait is for the Quick and Easy or Simple Stuff (1-Hand)...Landscape is for 2 Handers and yet people who design for Portrait still put the things you need to Touch at the Top of the Screen...I only need Time at Top if I need to see it at the Lock Screen not when I am using the Phone.
Sorry for variety of errors of Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, Sentence Structure, dotting my i's and crossing my t's (Joking on the last part). I didn't proofread much.
Best Keyboard was Motorola Droid 3 and LG C710 Aloha, but sadly there Hardware wasn't good.
Flash-A-Holic said:
Actually SD808 is atleast as good as SD810 or even better. SD810 is thorttling too much and it is not stable in every day use. Take a look at here: Thermal Throttling – Which SOC’s are the Worst Offenders.
Qwerty sliders are dying but you have to be creative. I modded my own qwerty slider from Xiaomi Mi4C and iPhone 6 bluetooth keyboard case: Qwerty Keyboard Slider [DIY]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate those keys, though. That's the same bluetooth case available on every modern phone. They change the brands a million times on Amazon, but it's the same case. Price varies wildly too.
Keys are wayyyyyy too close together. It's somehow faster to type each letter on a touch screen.
TPMJB said:
I hate those keys, though. That's the same bluetooth case available on every modern phone. They change the brands a million times on Amazon, but it's the same case. Price varies wildly too.
Keys are wayyyyyy too close together. It's somehow faster to type each letter on a touch screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not that bad. There is shaped buttons for better touch in my keyboard. I have seen different keyboard which are worse.
Flash-A-Holic said:
It is not that bad. There is shaped buttons for better touch in my keyboard. I have seen different keyboard which are worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh weird, where'd you get a 5 row case? I thought it was the ****ty 4 row case that's on Amazon, from the thumbnail on your video. I might just check it out
Edit: Wow, it looks exactly like my relay keyboard! I'm definitely interested! Every Amazon link I see is that awful 4 row keyboard.
...but not for $72 eee gad
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2016/12/blackberry-dtek70-mercury-leaked/
It looks like BB is about to release another QWERTY phone. But the times of slider keyboards are gone.
Guys... prepare your butts, the holy grail:
https://www.computerbase.de/2017-01/graalphone-4-in-1-notebook-smartphone-tablet-3d-kamera/
The GraalPhone!!! Next year in Europe and USA!!
Had my hopes up then...but look at the size of it! It's massive