I'm not sure I like the white on the radar and the quality of the hd7's screen and its older cpu/gpu put me off, but the lumia only has 8gb of storage. I'm leaning towards the lumia 710 right now because I prefer its design, but I feel like I'll need more than 8gb of storage.
P.S. are there any services similar to google music (or a google music app for that matter) on windows phone? That would pretty much solve the storage issue. (It's what I use on my android phone.)
One advantage of the HD7 is that, being a first-gen phone, it's highly hackable. If you want to do custom ROMs or heavy tweaking of stock ROMs, the HD7 is your best bet. It also has the largest screen, which help with things like using the on-screen keyboard.
The Radar strikes me as the Trophy v2, a device I was never terribly impressed with to start. However, it does have the advantages of a second-gen device: the faster processor and the front-facing camera. The CPU quality is not yet an issue, really - some games might load a little faster, but all of them are designed to play very smoothly on first-gen phones - but it might be a bit more feature-proof. It's also worth considering that pretty much any phone can be "skinned" with coatings that make it more resistant to damage and change the color, but are cheap and add little weight or size.
The Lumia 710 is a very nice device, but I agree tha 8GB is just too little storage. Is it possible to tear it down and put in a bigger microSD card? Many phones, including the HD7, don't actually have a soldered-in storage chip, they just use an internal uSD that can be replaced if you know how.
Google Music could be done on the phone, but it would have to be via an app. A quick check of the marketplace turns up nothing useful. Hmm, maybe this should be fixed... You can also use Pandora (and any other site that supports HTML5 streaming) on the phone; just open the page in a browser, and the music stream will start playing (you can control the station via the browser windows, of course) and the play/pause/volume controls that are built into the phone will be usable from any app, no need to keep the website in the foreground.
However, WP7 natively supports Zune Pass. For $10/month (less if you buy a multi-month subscription), you get all-you-can-eat music streaming. It can only be played on Windows Phones, Zune software on PC, Zune devices, and Xbox 360 (the files are DRMed, and will also stop working if you stop paying) but the selection is very nice, and my HD7 makes a good portable music player. It's a great way to get around the issue of not being able to keep your whole music collection on the phone. It's also a good way to discover new music; there's a feature called "Smart DJ" that automatically creates playlists based on songs, albums, or artists.
GoodDayToDie said:
One advantage of the HD7 is that, being a first-gen phone, it's highly hackable. If you want to do custom ROMs or heavy tweaking of stock ROMs, the HD7 is your best bet. It also has the largest screen, which help with things like using the on-screen keyboard.
The Radar strikes me as the Trophy v2, a device I was never terribly impressed with to start. However, it does have the advantages of a second-gen device: the faster processor and the front-facing camera. The CPU quality is not yet an issue, really - some games might load a little faster, but all of them are designed to play very smoothly on first-gen phones - but it might be a bit more feature-proof. It's also worth considering that pretty much any phone can be "skinned" with coatings that make it more resistant to damage and change the color, but are cheap and add little weight or size.
The Lumia 710 is a very nice device, but I agree tha 8GB is just too little storage. Is it possible to tear it down and put in a bigger microSD card? Many phones, including the HD7, don't actually have a soldered-in storage chip, they just use an internal uSD that can be replaced if you know how.
Google Music could be done on the phone, but it would have to be via an app. A quick check of the marketplace turns up nothing useful. Hmm, maybe this should be fixed... You can also use Pandora (and any other site that supports HTML5 streaming) on the phone; just open the page in a browser, and the music stream will start playing (you can control the station via the browser windows, of course) and the play/pause/volume controls that are built into the phone will be usable from any app, no need to keep the website in the foreground.
However, WP7 natively supports Zune Pass. For $10/month (less if you buy a multi-month subscription), you get all-you-can-eat music streaming. It can only be played on Windows Phones, Zune software on PC, Zune devices, and Xbox 360 (the files are DRMed, and will also stop working if you stop paying) but the selection is very nice, and my HD7 makes a good portable music player. It's a great way to get around the issue of not being able to keep your whole music collection on the phone. It's also a good way to discover new music; there's a feature called "Smart DJ" that automatically creates playlists based on songs, albums, or artists.
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Click to collapse
Zune pass is nice, but google music is appealing because it is free. There seem to be a couple of google music apps in development right now (mainly CloudMuzik. Its developer says he's submitting it to the market tonight. He's the guy who made metro browser, which I am a fan of.)
I should add that I owned a samsung focus back when I was on at&t. I switched to tmobile because I have a MUCH better plan now. If I could, I'd get a focus s, but being on tmobile obviously restricts that. My current phone is a nexus s which I plan on keeping as a toy. I'd like something more stable as a daily driver and I love windows phone. Google music is really the only service I'd miss. I don't have a single song on my nexus s's internal memory, it's all in the cloud and it hasn't failed me once.
One other question I have is about sideloading apps. If I'm not mistaken, you have to "jailbreak" your phone to do this. How difficult is this and how difficult is it to install updates/undo it?
A Google Music Player is coming to the marketplace very soon! It's in the software Dev section
---------- Post added at 11:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 PM ----------
and i would reccommend the nokia since they will have the most vested interest in windows phone, so updates and like will be much better
I don't really like appying the term "jailbreak" to Dev-Unlock (which is all that you need for sideloading apps). Developer unlock is a built-in feature of the OS, and is officially available to anybody... you just normally have to pay some money to use it (students can get it free through DreamSpark). One advantage of it being an official feature is there's no risk of it bricking the phone or preventing updates. There are some apps that can mess up the phone if used incorrectly (mostly things like registry editors) and they require an additional level of unlock, which we call interop-unlock. It's still technically a feature of the OS, but it's a hidden one not supposed to be available to end users. Currently the HD7 is the only phone on your original list that can be interop-unlocked, and you'll probably have to flash a lower firmware version to it first, then upgrade again afterward.
Currently, none of the free options for dev-unlock work on any of the phones you mentioned, although with enough effort you can downgrade the HD7 to pre-NoDo and use the original ChevronWP7 Unlocker, then manage to carry that forward through the upgrade to Mango. It's not easy, though. The official method is to get an AppHub (marketplace developer) account from Microsoft. $99/year, or free if you're a student. Well worth it to me, but your opinion may vary.
For what it's worth, you could of course get the Samsung and just SIM-unlock it. It might even support the right 3G / HSPDA+ (what TMO calls "4G", basically twice as fast as their usual 3G) bands, although I'd be a little surprised; most AT&T phones don't support TMO's higher-speed networks. Samsung phones can currently be both dev- and interop-unlocked easily using the WindowBreak project (provided they don't have the latest firmware update, which one bought now might not). Additionally, the first-gen Samsung phones (but not second-gen, like the Focus S) can now use custom ROMs. That was just published today. No word yet on support for second-gen custom ROMs on either HTC or Samsung, though.
GoodDayToDie said:
I don't really like appying the term "jailbreak" to Dev-Unlock (which is all that you need for sideloading apps). Developer unlock is a built-in feature of the OS, and is officially available to anybody... you just normally have to pay some money to use it (students can get it free through DreamSpark). One advantage of it being an official feature is there's no risk of it bricking the phone or preventing updates. There are some apps that can mess up the phone if used incorrectly (mostly things like registry editors) and they require an additional level of unlock, which we call interop-unlock. It's still technically a feature of the OS, but it's a hidden one not supposed to be available to end users. Currently the HD7 is the only phone on your original list that can be interop-unlocked, and you'll probably have to flash a lower firmware version to it first, then upgrade again afterward.
Currently, none of the free options for dev-unlock work on any of the phones you mentioned, although with enough effort you can downgrade the HD7 to pre-NoDo and use the original ChevronWP7 Unlocker, then manage to carry that forward through the upgrade to Mango. It's not easy, though. The official method is to get an AppHub (marketplace developer) account from Microsoft. $99/year, or free if you're a student. Well worth it to me, but your opinion may vary.
For what it's worth, you could of course get the Samsung and just SIM-unlock it. It might even support the right 3G / HSPDA+ (what TMO calls "4G", basically twice as fast as their usual 3G) bands, although I'd be a little surprised; most AT&T phones don't support TMO's higher-speed networks. Samsung phones can currently be both dev- and interop-unlocked easily using the WindowBreak project (provided they don't have the latest firmware update, which one bought now might not). Additionally, the first-gen Samsung phones (but not second-gen, like the Focus S) can now use custom ROMs. That was just published today. No word yet on support for second-gen custom ROMs on either HTC or Samsung, though.
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Click to collapse
No, none of the wp7 phones are pentaband/aws compatible sadly, else I wouldn't even be considering any of these phones, I'd just go straight for a lumia 900.
So is there no consumer-oriented unlock tool for the lumia? I wouldn't say I "need" it, but I like toying around with beta software.
@mmian, that was the app I was referring to (cloudmuzik) and I think the nokia is what I'm going to go for. The free nav software is enticing and I prefer their design over htc's (never really been a fan of them, had a g1 which was pure **** and a sensation which wasn't a bad design, but they clearly put all of their time/money into making it look nice rather than having a good, responsive touchscreen that doesn't let dust into it. /rant). Now that I know google music is coming, the storage isn't an issue.
Well, beta software can actually be distributed through the marketplace now (the dev has to specifically add your account to the beta, though). Almost everything WP7-related on XDA-Devs is either custom ROMs or XAP files (sideload-able application packages, though), and you need dev-unlock to install the latter (and a custom bootloader to install the former).
GoodDayToDie said:
Well, beta software can actually be distributed through the marketplace now (the dev has to specifically add your account to the beta, though). Almost everything WP7-related on XDA-Devs is either custom ROMs or XAP files (sideload-able application packages, though), and you need dev-unlock to install the latter (and a custom bootloader to install the former).
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Click to collapse
Wow, I had no idea! That's actually a really cool system. Thank you guys for all the help btw.
Just a little info also... there is an article on wmpoweruser saying the lumina 710 is pentaband.
http://wmpoweruser.com/250-rogers-c...taband-and-works-on-wind-and-mobilicity-also/
I don't think any of the others are (non nokia's that is)
For £7.50 a month you don't only get unlimited streaming and localises downloads on Zune pass. You also can get 10 DRM-free songs each month. That works out to be 75p per song! Zune pass works out to be much cheaper for legal song downloads and streaming. DRM-free songs that you get each month can be saved on your PC and are yours for a lifetime even if you stop paying for the subscription.
Sent from my TITAN X310e using Board Express Pro
ROCOAFZ said:
Just a little info also... there is an article on wmpoweruser saying the lumina 710 is pentaband.
http://wmpoweruser.com/250-rogers-c...taband-and-works-on-wind-and-mobilicity-also/
I don't think any of the others are (non nokia's that is)
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Click to collapse
Yep, that's why I'm getting it (a mid/low end device) instead of an 800/900 which aren't pentaband.
@drupad2drupad: You're confusing the old and the new subscriptions, sadly.
The old Zune Pass subscription was $15/month ($12.50 if you bought a year at a time), all-you-can-eat downloads and streaming, and 10 song credits for DRM-free purchase each month.
The new subscription, as of some time late 2011, is $10/month (probably $7.50 if you buy 12 at a time, but I haven't checked) but you don't get any song purchase credits - just the (DRMed) streaming and downloads.
It's still a good service, but if you consider the cost of those 10 song purchases, the original plan was the better deal. However, they've discontinued that first plan; the only way you can have it now is if you're grandfathered in. I wish they'd kept both options available; I have the old plan but a new subscriber can't get it.
GoodDayToDie said:
@drupad2drupad: You're confusing the old and the new subscriptions, sadly.
The old Zune Pass subscription was $15/month ($12.50 if you bought a year at a time), all-you-can-eat downloads and streaming, and 10 song credits for DRM-free purchase each month.
The new subscription, as of some time late 2011, is $10/month (probably $7.50 if you buy 12 at a time, but I haven't checked) but you don't get any song purchase credits - just the (DRMed) streaming and downloads.
It's still a good service, but if you consider the cost of those 10 song purchases, the original plan was the better deal. However, they've discontinued that first plan; the only way you can have it now is if you're grandfathered in. I wish they'd kept both options available; I have the old plan but a new subscriber can't get it.
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Really?
Din't know that all! Read all the review around, wonder why I never bothered to check the dates on them. Luckily after my 14 day free trial, I've moved on to 1-month basis. I din't realize I was going to lose the downloaded songs as I just kept thinking the 10 I download are now DRM-free! I knew it can't be that simple. And it's not. Thanks for pointing that out.
That really means all these few months of songs I've been liking and getting into a groove of listening will go as soon as I stop the service! Bugger!
Yeah, I really liked that plan (and am grandfathered in) but new subscripers can't get it. Such a waste of opportunity on Microsoft's part, to not offer both options and let people choose which they wanted.
The download credits are handled slightly differently from how you describe; I receive 10 credits each month, and when I select a song to "buy" there is an option to pay with a download credit instead. They don't roll over month to month - use it or lose it - but Zune software shows how many credits you have left, and it's a clickable link that will show you the most-played songs in your collection that you didn't buy yet (i.e. that are DRMed downloads), so you can slowly convert your whole collection, in the order that you care most.
You can also use the credits to buy some songs that aren't available for streaming (why anybody would choose to block streaming is unclear to me, but some artists did...)
Anyhow, yeah, it sucks that they discontinued it, even though if you weren't diligent about using your song credits you ended up paying extra each month.
Related
Interesting...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080514/tc_nf/59789
Zenoran said:
Interesting...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080514/tc_nf/59789
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. I'm pretty sure I'll get one. It will surely be much better than the pretty much messed-up and incapable Diamond.
I use my PDA for business purposes and couldn't care less for it in my personal world. That said, the iPhone can't touch the Windows Device in the business world.
- First there are issues with iTunes. I can't stand it and every time i tried installing it on my computer something stopped working. So unless they make it work with WMDC it won't work for me. I haven't seen (other than a virus) a software that is more invasive than iTunes!
- No WiFi Sync. I sync via Bluetooth all day long when I'm at the office.
- No or very limited customization/personalization!
- Usability! Don't take me wrong it is very user friendly in general especially if you never used a "Smart" phone/device, but try to dial a number while driving! On standard phones, you can blindly feel your way around the dial screen, not so on the iPhone. Well, if you have a PDA without numbers, you can always use voice dial and it works great for me. Not so on the iPhone. Or just try to imagine you have FAT FINGERS, then the screen doesn't work at all (not that you could dial a number on my Dash with fat fingers ) Have you ever tried to operate the iPhone in cold conditions. Well it doesn't! Something with the screen just doesn't want to work when it is very cold.
- My friend is telling me that he can't delete certain stuff of the phone. Can only be done on iTunes and then it needs to be synced. To me that sounds like a one way street. I need to sync the latest changes I have done on either device or laptop.
- No MMS
- No 3G YET, but my TMo Dash doesn't either.
- Not enough Software yet (which probably will change in a year or two). I have around $200 worth of software on my PDA and NONE is available for iPhone. This saves me carrying my laptop all over the place.
- Not available on all networks. It is a locked device and I dare you to unlock it
- You can't do that attitude.
- Why do they keep on pushing the iTunes this and iTunes that on you.
It is difficult to focus on all the good when you are used to your WM device having all the options available and then once you jump on the iPhone wagon these options are just not available.
My buddy, who took the iPhone plunge, ended up getting his old Siemens SX66 back (updated to WM6) and gave his $500 iPhone to his wife, who absolutelly loves it, she uses it mainly as a MP3 player (and sometimes as a phone).
I do love the High Res Screen, ease of use and overal looks of the iPhone. If the features and software become available it would definetly be a WM killer, but as of yet, the only people i see using an iPhone are the ones who don't really need a WM device. If I wouldn't depend on the stuff that is on my Smartphone, i'd probably have an iPhone too.
In my opinion it is a very good looking but a "Not Enough" or Simple device. Here, check it out:
http://www.tryphone.com/main.seam;j...Main&conversationPropagation=end&cid=442382#g
they are making it support activesync soon last i heard
bluetooth is not wifi activesync used to be able to sync using wifi as well as bluetooth but that was removed (so that harms wm devices too)
iphone can do mms using third party software
all iphones used outside of usa are unlocked and can use Edge or gprs networks of those countries not really with apples consent though
daleksic said:
I use my PDA for business purposes and couldn't care less for it in my personal world. That said, the iPhone can't touch the Windows Device in the business world.
- First there are issues with iTunes. I can't stand it and every time i tried installing it on my computer something stopped working. So unless they make it work with WMDC it won't work for me. I haven't seen (other than a virus) a software that is more invasive than iTunes!
- No WiFi Sync. I sync via Bluetooth all day long when I'm at the office.
- No or very limited customization/personalization!
- Usability! Don't take me wrong it is very user friendly in general especially if you never used a "Smart" phone/device, but try to dial a number while driving! On standard phones, you can blindly feel your way around the dial screen, not so on the iPhone. Well, if you have a PDA without numbers, you can always use voice dial and it works great for me. Not so on the iPhone. Or just try to imagine you have FAT FINGERS, then the screen doesn't work at all (not that you could dial a number on my Dash with fat fingers ) Have you ever tried to operate the iPhone in cold conditions. Well it doesn't! Something with the screen just doesn't want to work when it is very cold.
- My friend is telling me that he can't delete certain stuff of the phone. Can only be done on iTunes and then it needs to be synced. To me that sounds like a one way street. I need to sync the latest changes I have done on either device or laptop.
- No MMS
- No 3G YET, but my TMo Dash doesn't either.
- Not enough Software yet (which probably will change in a year or two). I have around $200 worth of software on my PDA and NONE is available for iPhone. This saves me carrying my laptop all over the place.
- Not available on all networks. It is a locked device and I dare you to unlock it
- You can't do that attitude.
- Why do they keep on pushing the iTunes this and iTunes that on you.
It is difficult to focus on all the good when you are used to your WM device having all the options available and then once you jump on the iPhone wagon these options are just not available.
My buddy, who took the iPhone plunge, ended up getting his old Siemens SX66 back (updated to WM6) and gave his $500 iPhone to his wife, who absolutelly loves it, she uses it mainly as a MP3 player (and sometimes as a phone).
I do love the High Res Screen, ease of use and overal looks of the iPhone. If the features and software become available it would definetly be a WM killer, but as of yet, the only people i see using an iPhone are the ones who don't really need a WM device. If I wouldn't depend on the stuff that is on my Smartphone, i'd probably have an iPhone too.
In my opinion it is a very good looking but a "Not Enough" or Simple device. Here, check it out:
http://www.tryphone.com/main.seam;j...Main&conversationPropagation=end&cid=442382#g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol @ this post. you must have just used a 5 min demo from the store. the iphone can do a lot of the stuff you're complaining about.
I thought they already added activesync to iPhone? If not.. I know for sure it's coming soon.. that was AMAZING to me they were doing that...
iTunes is the thing that will probably prevent me from ever getting an iPhone though... I HATE iTunes. HATE HATE HATE. Everything apple FORCES u to use iTunes and I think it's stupid.
will be interesting to see the features of this v2 phone... I would assume that is the one they would throw on 3G.
i use itunes even though i dont have an ipod or iphone
i like it
Cool. I'm pretty sure I'll get one. It will surely be much better than the pretty much messed-up and incapable Diamond.
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Click to collapse
Have you used a Diamond yet? Or are you just guessing...
I think the Raphael will definately be better than the iPhone for most uses, and I also think the Diamond will be better with the ability to have a far greater number of programs...
Of course you can unlock the iPhone but you loose warranty i heard. But in europe the iPhone is provider locked as well. For example, in Austria the iPhone is sold unter T-mobile (germany as well, Deutsche Telekom), so if you want to unlock it to be able to use A1 or O2 or whatever else you have to void your warranty to be able to do that.
You just gotta jailbreak it if you want more. And that's marginally.
http://www.appletell.com/apple/comment/unlocked-iphones-to-be-sold-in-europe-the-moon/
there been rumors for awhile about them also being sold unlocked in europe
in which case apple will have to give warrenty
l3v5y said:
Have you used a Diamond yet? Or are you just guessing...
I think the Raphael will definately be better than the iPhone for most uses, and I also think the Diamond will be better with the ability to have a far greater number of programs...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he was being sarcastic
as far as unlocked iphones people are now buying these "hi-phones" which they're making claims are better than iphone to begin with... haven't seen a 3g version of it though
l3v5y said:
Have you used a Diamond yet? Or are you just guessing...
I think the Raphael will definately be better than the iPhone for most uses, and I also think the Diamond will be better with the ability to have a far greater number of programs...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends. 4GB storage is plain insufficient in a multimedia device. This device has been killed on the drawing board.
And if the GUI will be as slow as on the videos, it'll be really hard to use.
Of course, I don't disagree the Diamon has a lot more apps. It's just that I also have an iPAQ 210 in my poxket so I have something high-end to run my WinMo apps on- my phone doesn't necessarily need be a WinMo phone. This is why I have a Nokia N95 as my generic multimedia phone right now.
Yeah, the unlock iPhone rumor, is just that a rumor. Trust me, my friend came to visit me here in US with his Austrian iPhone and he ended up with one of my old Nokia phones while he was here as the iPhone was locked. He asked for unlock but Tmo will not budge on this one. Any other phone they will send you the SIM unlock codes wihtin 24 hours. Besides TMo Europe and TMo US are 2 complete separate units and for some reason they are not communicating that well with each other. That's unfortunate, they could have an awesome worldwide network.
Hi everybody.
this is my first post here, I hope the place is right for this post.
my problem: I want to replace my OLD smartphone TREO PRO WM6.1 with a new one, but I cannot find a model / OS that can do the same things as good as my current phone. So I may end up keweping the current one, until something better (for me) comes out.
I use my TREO PRO WM6.1 essentially for:
1) keeping my calendar events and contacts always up-to-date on my smartphone,
my office PC and my home PC.
2) make phone calls (also using kar bluetooth kit) and send messages (SMS)
3) keep a number of documents (files) always sincronized on my SD, my office PC and my home PC
4) read and edit Office files, even pasword protected ones on the smartphone when not at home or in the office.
5) off line navigation with TomTom (often abroad, cannot afford to use roaming
6) some browsing and e-mail (not push) by WIFI only
7) sometimes listening to some MP3 music
All the solutions now on the market have very good points but none fits 100% to my needs.
iPhone4: I would need to cut or change the SIM, to make it "MINI", and I cannot, as it it a company SIM and I am not allowed to do this.
Android: from what I have found on XDA, it does not sync very well with outlook via USB (I cannot use google, as my company does not allow to send data to the "clouds" for security reasons) and it's calendar app does not store (or show) events happening 45 days further than today. My calendar is full of recurring and events planned long before. Also, no TomTom for Android (at least as of now, although there are rumours about it coming...)
WinPhone7: it is even more "cloud" dependent than Android, and it looks like TomTom will never be there for it.
Blackberry: as I do not use push mail and do not want to be always connected (often abroad), I do not think this platform is the right one for me.
Has anybody any suggestion for what could be my best option, instead of keeping my Treo Pro with WM6.1 ? I confess, I have not looked at the Nokia world......
Thanks for helping me by sharing your ideas and opinions on the subject.
Well android phones are good all-arounders, but by they way you put it i'd recommend a blackberry: it's good for syncing data and has pretty much all of the basic things you're asking.
I actually can't see what you mean when you say you can't get one because you "don't wanna be always connected": actually there isn't a single phone out there forcing you to connect to whatever if you don't want to, and bb is no exception, so you don't have to worry. Tomtom isn't available for blackberries, but there's a lot of other programs which are on par with it: garmin mobile, wayfinder, and even nav4all which is free. Also, coming from a treo i guess bb form factor should appeal you too...i suggest you to wait for the new bold 9900 (hopefully out in a couple months), which is a nice phone imho. After a year and a half with a full touch screen android i really miss that awesome bb keyboard, and i'm actually looking forward to get one as soon as it comes out.
Ofc the geeks and fanboys here will go like "aw noez, dun get ztupid rim phones, they are outdated and suxxor lalalal, get android!!1", but to be honest this one seems to a much better option for an user with your needs. Just my 2 cents...
thanks, anzi grazie.
well, the problem of the BB is that it is very similar to my Treo pro, almost identical for size, keyboard and functionality (remember, I do not use push mail), and it will not run TomTom..... so why change the Pro with a BB ?
My idea is to change the Pro in order to have a larger screen, that can work landscape also.... OK, there is one BB model with a big screen, but if I do not use push mail, is it really worth taking a BB ? Maybe i am biased here, thinking that BB without using push mail is a waste of money.....I will give BB a better look anyway.
If the ONLY reason you don't want an iPhone 4 is because you have to cut the SIM, then you can always get the 3GS. It will be able to run even iOS 5 and you don't have to cut the SIM. Obviously, it's slower than the iPhone 4, but it does have a Cortex A8 based CPU so even at 600MHz, it's pretty decent. Other than slower CPU, other differences over the iPhone 4 is it has a lower resolution screen, 3.2MP camera, and no flash. The low res screen makes the 3GS look dated, but it's the same size as the iPhone 4 and displays the exact same thing so no information lost, it just doesn't look as sharp.
Have you researched HTC's proprietary Outlook sync for Android? I'm not sure if it's better than what you've read about, but I know HTC does have its own. You should be able to use it if you buy an HTC Android phone. If that doesn't work for you, could you do an Exchange Server sync? If you use Outlook because your company uses Exchange Server, then Android can sync to it directly. For me, it works well in both HTC and stock Android flavors. They've quoted Corinne Vigreux, the managing director of TomTom, as saying TomTom for Android will be "released soon", so I think it's definitely coming. It would be silly not to make it available for the #1 most popular smartphone platform.
WP7 - No, earlier this year TomTom said they won't be making a WP7 version. WP7 is a nice OS, but it just has too few users right now.
Can't comment on BB, never had a modern one.
Nokia - well, Symbian is on the way out as Nokia will be switching to WP7. I don't see the point of going to a dying OS.
So, I think either iPhone 3GS or Android. Definitely Android if you want something more modern. The iPhone 3GS with its low res screen especially, feels a bit dated compared to a modern device with WVGA or higher res screen.
@GnatGoSplat: thanks
well, yes. The problem with iPhone 4 is the micro SIM. It has TomTom, it syncs Outlook via iTunes (I just have to figure out if it can do this on two PCs, home and work or only one pairing is allowed), it has DocsToGo for editing Office files, a good big display.... 3G could be a reasonable alternative, but as I change phone every three / four years I would like to get the latest, when I do the change...
I will ask Vodafone and my company if i can get a "micro" copy of my SIM, so that I can use the iPhone 4 without damaging the original one. Who knows ?
Android... the new dual core Samsung Galaxy S II or LG Dual look very nice only they will not do their job for me... too bad hardware and software companies have tuned up with carriers to have users "on line 24/7" spending money for data connections (flat or whatever) and sending them all their private data and files in the couds....
I really wish the "ole good PALM OS" was still here with us !
We are on AT&T and even for my company phone walking into the store they will replace my SIM without any questions. They will do whatever you want as long as your not changing anything on the contract.
I'm sure you can get a Micro SIM from Vodafone. Even if not, you can probably buy a new Micro SIM from eBay and have Vodafone switch to that SIM and then switch back to the old one if for some reason you have to return the SIM to your employer.
But if you can't, be sure if you get an older iPhone to get the 3GS. The S is important, because the really old iPhone 3G can't upgrade past iOS 4.2.1 and is much, much slower. Huge difference between 3G and 3GS.
Android also has DocsToGo and many, many other apps to work with Office files. You don't need to be online 24/7 with Android, it will work without the cloud. You can even install Droidwall, a very good app that will let you choose which programs are allowed to use mobile data. For example, I let my Android phone have full data access on Wifi, but only the web browser is allowed to use mobile data. You can turn off mobile data entirely with no problems if you wish.
Palm OS? But your old Palm Treo doesn't even run Palm OS! You could always try a modern Palm phone using WebOS, but I've never had one so I don't know much about those at all.
GnatGoSplat said:
I'm sure you can get a Micro SIM from Vodafone. Even if not, you can probably buy a new Micro SIM from eBay and have Vodafone switch to that SIM and then switch back to the old one if for some reason you have to return the SIM to your employer.
But if you can't, be sure if you get an older iPhone to get the 3GS. The S is important, because the really old iPhone 3G can't upgrade past iOS 4.2.1 and is much, much slower. Huge difference between 3G and 3GS.
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Many thanks for the hint. I'll try to have the sim and look over the 3gS if not.
GnatGoSplat said:
Android also has DocsToGo and many, many other apps to work with Office files. You don't need to be online 24/7 with Android, it will work without the cloud. You can even install Droidwall, a very good app that will let you choose which programs are allowed to use mobile data. For example, I let my Android phone have full data access on Wifi, but only the web browser is allowed to use mobile data. You can turn off mobile data entirely with no problems if you wish.
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True, but looking around the web I found all and the contrary of all about Android and sync with Outlook / Office via USB.... And, I would like to sync two PCs witht he same device... I still am a little skeptical.
OK for DocsToGo, this is what I will buy if I decide for an Android, as it also is the only app that handles password protected files on the device.....
GnatGoSplat said:
Palm OS? But your old Palm Treo doesn't even run Palm OS! You could always try a modern Palm phone using WebOS, but I've never had one so I don't know much about those at all.
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my reference to PalmOS was just because, after my Motorola StaRTAC, I had a Treo 90, a Treo 180, a Treo 650 and really loved them for what they could do at their time. Way ahead of other devices and OS !!!!
GnatGoSplat said:
You don't need to be online 24/7 with Android, it will work without the cloud. You can even install Droidwall, a very good app that will let you choose which programs are allowed to use mobile data.
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DroidWall leaks when you boot your phone, and with all those restrictions from the OP's company I'm pretty sure that rooting Android to use DroidWall is not an option.
Apps like APNdroid, Quick Settings and Widgetsoid are much better at keeping your phone offline. Nothing gets past a renamed APN.
If the OP can get Outlook syncing working then Android will fit the bill. There are plenty of calendar apps out there, so there must be one that does the job.
I still remember my old Nokia 6510 - nothing could beat the battery life in that one. Sometimes I could get even one week of battery life.
I think smartphone creators should think about extending battery life so it would last at least 3 days with very heavy usage.
I currently use a AT&T Tilt 2 (aka HTC Touch Pro 2/Rhodium) and I love most everything about it, especially the keyboard, but I am increasingly becoming aware of how limited it is compared to the newer phones on the market that have faster processors, much more RAM, and far superior cameras/camcorders. I'm not much of a techie, but I can understand flashing/tweaking my devices if the instructions are clear enough, so I've been trying to research the new phones on the market on my own to decide what my next device should be... Now, I'm even more confused than I was before!
I've always used Windows Mobile (Siemens SX56, then SX66, then Kaiser, now Rhodium), therefore I have no experience with Android or Windows 7. Android seems like the logical progression, as it's not locked down like W7 and iPhone, but I am hesitant about going over to the unknown and regretting it. My (very un-technical) wish list for a new device is:
New device MUST have a hard, slide-out, landscape keyboard (so, iPhones need not apply! LOL)
Decent camera with flash and HD video (preferred)
Sync well with Microsoft Outlook, as my entire life is in my Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, etc.
Must have GPS (but I believe most devices have GPS anyway) -- I currently use Bing for navigation, as it is free and has voice-guided directions
Must either have large memory capacity or expandable memory (card) capability
I'm not a gamer by any stretch, so I'm not looking for a toy, but to have a device that would actually play decent videos (from YouTube and the like) would definitely be a plus. Also, I find that I don't use my Rhodium much for music, as I'm able to store much more music on my 60GB MP3 player than I would on my device anyway.
I basically want a phone that will contain & manage my life, allow me to easily sync with my computer(s), act as my portable computer, and have a few cool bells/whistles to make my life easier. I've looked at what AT&T has on offer and the only device that I seem to like is the LG Quantum, but I am very hesitant since the prices on Ebay have some down pretty drastically on that one (you can pick one up for a little over $100 now, which can't be a good sign if Rhodiums are still selling for almost the same price) and the new W7 system just doesn't entice me yet. I want to control a lot on my phone, so I feel like I might be taking a step backwards if I went with that device. I'm not opposed to getting an unlocked phone from another carrier, but I want to be sure that I am still able to get the most out of whatever device I buy.
What devices out there would fit my criteria? What have those who also loved their Rhodiums switched to? Is there anything on the horizon for AT&T users that I should wait for?
Thanks for allowing me to pick your XDA brains! I've been here for several years and have always found our members helpful and knowledgeable, so I appreciate and respect your insights/opinions... Thank you!
Debbie
I want a great HTC keyboard device with Android but nothing has came out, hope next bunch of mobiles in Sept/Oct can bring some
Not true. Wife has the T-Mobile G2 which is an HTC phone. It is great.
yes
kccode1 said:
Not true. Wife has the T-Mobile G2 which is an HTC phone. It is great.
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Same here.... T-Mobile G2 is cool phone...
my wife has the HTC evo shift, which is great, also the mytouch 4g slide is an amazing phone.
Sent from my Tmous Virtuous Sensation
I recently obtained a Samsung Focus S (windows phone challenge) and was hoping to use it primarily as a zune in the car to start replacing my zune hd 64gb. However only having 13gb of on board storage is really limiting. Is there anyway to add some additional storage? Networked hard drive I could just keep in the car? The only app I've found so far that can read networked drives is "ShareFolder" and it does not seem to have the ability to map a drive. I'm on sprint with a galaxy II and will not be switching to at&t so the phone will not have service. An alternative would be to tether off the galaxy but that would be a major pain every time I got into the car. The Focus S section of the forums seem rather dead compared to most, no love for this phone? Any thoughts are appreciated.
Since you'll have no service, I guess cloud services are out. Frankly, it sounds like you're better off giving to a family member or selling it. It seems like a lot of trouble to go through for marginal benefits (if any?).
13 gigs for just music isn't enough? You must have one long commute! Anyways I know what you mean, our device doesn't seem to get much love despite it (my opinion) the 2nd best wp7 device next to the 900.
I'd been using a Nokia 5233 (hmph!) for the past 2 years, and its time i considered an upgrade.
Once the Lumia's were out, i kind of fell in love with WP. The non stuttering UI seemed awesome to me. And, i'd promised(breakable ) that the Lumia 710 would be my next phone.
But, it was after being a member here that i came to know the shortcomings of WP. You really can't download a music file, can we? And, heard that the Lumia 710 got a pathetic battery life.
So, i was forced to look elsewhere. That's when the Xperia U caught my attention. It got some Novathor 1 ghz dual core processor, and cute design. And the colour changing transparent bar felt like a deal breaker to me. Being in the Nxt series, Sony has promised an ICS update(Sweet!). Well, now, i'm in a dilemma.
Can any WP user out there, comment and help me choose my upgrade?
Well, downloading music through the store works just fine. Downloading music through the web browser will let the music be played, but it doesn't seem to let you save it to the media library. I'm sure it's possible with homebrew... eventually, when somebody gets around to writing it.
I can't speak to the battery life of the 710 specifically, or even the Lumias in general, but I know Nokia has been releasing firmware updates that address the poor battery life the lumias had originally. I don't know how far they can take that, but it's profress. Also bear in mind that Android is hardly a battery-sipping OS either.
There's also the minor fact that Sony, even Sony-Ericson, is a company I will never buy anything from, on account of the horrible way they treat their customers and the industry as a whole (rootkits on audio CDs, retroactively removing console features, etc.) So, I would never recommend them... there's lots of other phone OEMs if you don't want to go with Nokia.
Thanks for your valuable words.
So, if one requires a song, he's supposed to buy it from the store, eh? I wouldn't mind.
And yeah, i've heard about the Droids' battery draining powers . But, when i googled, i never found anyone mentioning battery drains from Xperia U.
I guess you're indirectly asking me to stick with the Lumia, right? Let me see... I guess Microsoft would preview their WP8 tomorrow.
Waiting for the day...
It's totally up to you. But, you asked for advice, and that's what you got!
As a side note, the Lumia 710 is a good choice if you want a device you can modify or hack on. It's possible to very easily unlock its bootloader so you can install custom ROMs, with extra features and fewer restrictions.
In addition to music from the store, you can also listed to the radio (all Windows phones have FM receivers) and you can use apps (there are lots of apps that provides access to streaming music, for example). Also, that's just ways to get music on the phone without using the PC. HOwever, when you sync the phone to the PC, you can send music to it from the Zune software, which will then be available to play on the phone.
We're all waiting to hear about WP8. Don't know if it'll be tomorrow or not, but we can hope...
Sony........Never again
Hi babu.rajiv2007,
I would agree with GoodDayToDie and will also never buy anything from Sony ever again. In The past they have been underhand with their contractual obligations to their customers and after the initial sale has them your money i would wish you or anyone else the very best of luck with their aftercare, updates, RMA policies etc...etc...etc.......(very bad taste left after owning an X1, took almost 9 months and 5 returns of that handset to have them recall the chassis and admit that it wasnt my fault) I am also of the opinion that Sony is trading off a name that they made for themselves many years ago regarding quality of their products and services and that in this day and age they will (hopefully) not last much longer.
Anyway, in my personal opinion i would go for the Nokia. The OS is splendid (of course) and the handset is really well put together, not that i would try to put you off the Android option, I would advise that you take one for a 30 day cool down period and put yourself off it.....it didnt take me long to see that there is indeed a difference between the two.
I'm running a custom ROM atm and can tell you that the homebrew scene is very much alive with the WP7 O/S, there are several apps that will allow you to do what you like regarding music.
Hope this helps (still i say try both, but hell no to Sony)
Creamy
I don't know if you remember me. I had almost bought a Lumia710 but returned it as I found its display to be horrible and quite different from demo models. After it, I considered buying Xperia U too. But two of my friends own Sony Androids (Xperia X8 and Xperia X10 respectively) and they swear that they will never buy a Sony again and strongly advise me to stay away too. Because Sony never bothers to update their phones.
However it is most certain Xperia U will be upgraded to ICS (though no 100% guarantee). I have used a real Xperia U (not the demo model). It was fine though it it didn't feel as nice to use as a WP7 device or even a Samsung Galaxy S2. Main reason being uninspiring UI and the dim LED back-lit LCD. The display feels like a candle when compared to S-LCD and AMOLED based displays. Camera is definitely awesome. The phone does feel fast but not as fluid as a WP7. Its UI lacks the wow factor which makes me love my WP7. Heck, it doesn't feel as nice as my friend's Galaxy S2.
Confused, I've decided to postpone my purchase for another two-three week. I see that newer devices are coming in Indian market. One example is HTC Desire C. Please note that it is a 600MHz phone but runs on ARM v7 and hence should be as good as 1GHz ARM v6 devices or even better. This signals that newer ARM devices are coming within two weeks. And hence I've decided to wait and watch since I don't want to get stuck with ARM v6 devices.
Last but not least, I'm also eagerly waiting for WP8 announcement
babu.rajiv2007 said:
Thanks for your valuable words.
So, if one requires a song, he's supposed to buy it from the store, eh? I wouldn't mind.
And yeah, i've heard about the Droids' battery draining powers . But, when i googled, i never found anyone mentioning battery drains from Xperia U.
I guess you're indirectly asking me to stick with the Lumia, right? Let me see... I guess Microsoft would preview their WP8 tomorrow.
Waiting for the day...
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Better wait for Windows Phone 8 release and see what it offers if you want to buy songs directly from the store. Because downloading songs requires a ZunePass and as far as I know, India is not one of the supported countries for Zunepass. I would be happy if I am proven wrong though.
You can always transfer songs from your PC to phone through Zune though.
Thanks a lot, guys.
So, that helps me let go of Xperia U. Whew! What a headache it made
daAppu said:
I don't know if you remember me.
Confused, I've decided to postpone my purchase for another two-three week. I see that newer devices are coming in Indian market. One example is HTC Desire C. Please note that it is a 600MHz phone but runs on ARM v7 and hence should be as good as 1GHz ARM v6 devices or even better. This signals that newer ARM devices are coming within two weeks. And hence I've decided to wait and watch since I don't want to get stuck with ARM v6 devices.
Last but not least, I'm also eagerly waiting for WP8 announcement
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Of course. I do remember you.
And 600 Mhz? You sure it'd be a good deal? I've seen the One V lag. For the droids, will it be enough?
Tell me, what do you think of HTC One V. Not that i've considered it, but, seems to fall under my price range.
About WP8, i won't be willing to wait for more than a month. My choice would solely be based on tomorrow. Can't wait!
I think Xperia the best cause Lumia very slownly I think that
@chaitanya91845: You do not need a Zune Pass in order to buy music from the store. Zune Pass is only needed for streaming full songs. The old Zune Pass would give you 10 credits a month toward buying songs, but the song buying is independent of Zune Pass.
With that said, it's possible that Microsoft's licensing with the music labels don't allow them to sell music in India at all. I haven't tried. One easy way to tell would be to download the free Zune software (http://zune.net), sign in with your Windows Live account, go to the Marketplace, and see if you can buy songs (most are about $1 US, and are MP3s so you can play them in anything). If that works, it should be fine on the phone too.
GoodDayToDie said:
@chaitanya91845: You do not need a Zune Pass in order to buy music from the store. Zune Pass is only needed for streaming full songs. The old Zune Pass would give you 10 credits a month toward buying songs, but the song buying is independent of Zune Pass.
With that said, it's possible that Microsoft's licensing with the music labels don't allow them to sell music in India at all. I haven't tried. One easy way to tell would be to download the free Zune software (http://zune.net), sign in with your Windows Live account, go to the Marketplace, and see if you can buy songs (most are about $1 US, and are MP3s so you can play them in anything). If that works, it should be fine on the phone too.
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OMG. And I was under the impression that you need a ZunePass to purchase songs from the store. Almost a year, and I still dont know some basic stuff!!
But yes, if you download Zune and login, the music(in marketplace)/social sections used to disappear if my Control Panel "Location" settings were set to India. And if you change Location settings to USA, then you will require a US credit card to purchase.
So probably not possible to buy songs as of now.
Xperia U will get you Android 4, Lumia won't get you Windows Phone 8. Go Xperia for now.
guilhermedsx said:
Xperia U will get you Android 4, Lumia won't get you Windows Phone 8. Go Xperia for now.
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Hm... Microsoft's announcement made me reconsider my decision... Damn!
I bet the developer's would start using native code for developing apps, and older devices WON'T support those apps
I'm sad not because of WP8(i'd be happy with 7.8), but, the low availability of apps once WP8 enters the scene is displeasing.
Now choosing a new phone is really confusing! Unless some awesome features are revealed about WP 7.8 and if WP7 device prices crash to sub-10,000 Indian Rupees, I certainly don't want a WP7 device now.
I honestly have no idea which's better- 1GHz ARM v6 Android vs 600MHz v7 Android. Having owned a smooth and fluid WP device for over a year, I certainly don't want a lagging phone for my sister.
The choices are vastly split-
1. Single core v6 1GHz Android (like One V, running ICS)
2. Single core v7 600MHz Android (like Desire C, running ICS)
3. Dual core v6 Xperia U (might not get ICS)
4. WP7 device (least chance of buying it).
I honestly have no idea which phone to choose
@daAppu
I'd advice against a WP7 device now. It just don't make sense going for one, now. Once WP8 devices enters the scene, the scenario might change.
About your processor doubts, i'd recommend you to post at the Android Q&A section. They might be a bit experienced. But, what i think is that those devices would be under powered. The Xperia U now, starts to make more sense to me.
But, i'm sad.
Xperia U Android 4, Lumia never Windows Phone 8, Microsoft Down. Go Xperia.
Did MS actually state that WP8 apps wouldn't work on WP7.8? The impression I got was that 7.8 was basically WP8-without-the-new-hardware-features. For example, there's no reason that native code can't be used on WP7.x (most homebrew apps, and even a few Marketplace apps, already use native code, in fact). It is possible that the native code API for WP7.X and WP8 will be incompatible, though. This would be mildly stupid of Microsoft, but eh, what else is new? They do seem to have an incredible talent for releasing excellent products and then botching them up horribly...
Microsoft did announce it indirectly...
No doubt the developers would use native code, and according to what i read at wpcentral, older devices won't support it.
Anyway, just watched the video of the new tiles... Kinda cool. But, it doesn't make sense sticking to a WP7 device. And, i'm not willing to wait for a WP8 device(i guess it come by December).
I guess i'll move along with the pack, stick with droid :\
Regardless of whether apps will still come to WP7 or not, I'm also not interested in buying a WP7 right now.
But wait, we're not alone. No one is gonna buy WP7 also. We can easily bet that there are thousands (possibly hundreds of thousands) of WP7 devices already manufactured but unsold. So this opens a possibility that WP7 devices will be sold at half the original price or even less. Don't believe me? I bought my BB Playbook for only INR 13,000!
So this opens two choices for us-
1. A really nice WP7 like Lumia 800 for price of INR 10,000. I'm talking about a brand new one, not second hand.
2. A 600MHz ARM v7 Android phone for INR 15,000 or 1GHz ARM v7 Android phone for INR 19,000.
That's why I didn't completely ruled out WP7 in my last post. I really can't decide a phone quickly. Heart says go for an Android now. Head says "Wait and watch for 2 more weeks, you stupid compulsive buyer!"