[Closed] New phone time

HTC Desire HD - Android 2.1 OS

Does everything it should, really well - and has a huge screen. Don't let people put you off by saying it's too big, as I don't find that a problem at all.

Oh and it supports Flash - iPhone users will be along shortly to tell you this doesn't matter, but I've found plenty of sites where it's required - including viewing online copies of ST Magazine.

iPhone users will be along shortly to tell you this doesn't matter, but I've found plenty of sites where it's required - including viewing online copies of ST Magazine.

It doesn't matter. Never yet found a site that I [i]need[/i] Flash for.

Online copies of ST mag are served as PDF - no Flash required - plus there is a STW iPhone app.
But not an Android one.

Oh and I'll take the higher res iPhone screen (960x640) over the "huge screen" (800x480) of the Desire HD any day. 🙂

Yes, do a bit of research and play ur present company against the others, say the magic words "I'm leaving" and see them bend over backwards to keep you (they need to hear you say it), that's always been my experience, they need that key phrase though as It's recorded and they get into trouble by their managers for offering deals straight off

[url] http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chase-and-status [/url]

Graham - can you watch the video in the last post of the link above?

The iPhone is just better, I tried a desire for a bit, it was enough to realise that I am sticking with the iPhone from now on. Plus the battery on the iPhone 4 is excellent. Which was a weakness on previous models.

Just waiting for my Motorola Defy to come - 600 mins/600 texts/unlimited net 18 months @ £17
Looks to do all I want but the deal clincher was the build quality, gorilla glass and waterproofing, hurry up postie I want to play 😀

Hilldodger - who's that deal with, if you don't mind me asking?
JCornford - I've got bugger all personal experience but a mate of mine quickly returned his iphone 4 upgrade and reverted to his old 3. He said the 4 was crap to the point of unusable.

JCornford - I've got bugger all personal experience but a mate of mine quickly returned his iphone 4 upgrade and reverted to his old 3. He said the 4 was crap to the point of unusable.

Just to balance out, I have an iPhone 3G (now over 2 years old, so a bit underpowered). I had an iPhone 4 from work for a few months and thought it was brilliant. Much snappier, great screen.

Hilldodger - who's that deal with, if you don't mind me asking?

The snappily named 'affordablemobiles.co.uk' 😀

which network though hilldodger?

Graham - can you watch the video in the last post of the link above?

By God you're right. I can't watch a video of an obscure Indy band on their outdated website.
It's clear to me now that my phone is a complete waste of money as this is something I want to do all the time 😉

Perhaps I should restate my point:
"It doesn't matter. Never yet found a site [i]that I'm interested in[/i] that I need Flash for." 🙂

I'm tempted byt the deal offered by 3 on the Iphone, seems very good compared to everyone else:

£35 a month
£69 upfront cost
2000 any network minutes
5000 texts
5000 Three-to-Three minutes
All-you-can-eat Data

The iPhone is just better

Lots of new HTC (and other) devices just round the corner with dual core chips. I'd wait for one of those. Loads of desires owners in my office (including me) and everyone is happy. Desire 2 with a dual core sounds right on the money to me.

Not about an iphone but a great bit of onion satire re: apple's way...

but a mate of mine quickly returned his iphone 4 upgrade and reverted to his old 3. He said the 4 was crap to the point of unusable

What??? You 'aving a laff? It's the same thing. But better. How can you use a iP3 and not an iP4?

If it was that old 'reception' bugbear, then there's very few affected and you just return it and get another one.

I was using my brother's iP3 again this week, and whilst it works fine, it's noticeably inferior to my iP4, as you'd expect. A lot slower and the display is nowhere near as good, mainly.

Sounds good. But you do know a new iphone will be out this year. I'm trying to find a way of delaying my new contract (probably drop on to pay as you go, or sim only contract for a few months).

It's rumoured to be out in June. So if you sign up to a new 24 month contract now. You'll get stuck with an out of date phone when everyone else is on an iphone 5.

i'm currently on Orange, unlimited txt, 900 minutes, unlimited internet £35 a month

It does exactly what apple allow you to do with it and that's it, whether you like it or not.

And I do like it thanks. 🙂

I can't think of a reason why I'd want anything else. It just works. No faffing, not 10 billion different settings for everything, I don't need to be a geek to use it (I don't even need an instruction book!) and update it.

Seriously, please tell me what I'm missing out on. 🙂

Sounds good. But you do know a new iphone will be out this year. I'm trying to find a way of delaying my new contract (probably drop on to pay as you go, or sim only contract for a few months).

That's what I'd do. I missed out the 3GS, and I'll miss the 5, and then get a 6 in 2012 🙂

which network though hilldodger?

T mobile

ah cheers, orange own them don't they, free roaming between the two networks too

A new iPhone comes out every year. So if you do wait for the new one this year, then the following year you'll be stuck with it while everyone who changed now is rocking the iPhone 6 😉

What??? You 'aving a laff? It's the same thing. But better. How can you use a iP3 and not an iP4?

Seconded and thirded. What an odd thing to do. Missus has a 3GS, I have a 4.
And I can't think of any area that the 3 is "better" than the 4.

a mate of mine quickly returned his iphone 4 upgrade and reverted to his old 3. He said the 4 was crap to the point of unusable.

As others have said, I'd suggest that's either user error or a broken handset. He's flat out wrong, sorry.

The iPhone is just better

No. The iPhone is just better [i]for some people.[/i] I've said this before, but the iPhone and Android platforms have different approaches which will appeal to different demographics. To make blanket statements like "the iPhone is just better" or "Android is just better" is somewhat short-sighted IMHO.

I have an Android device (HTC Desire) and my OH has an iPhone. We've both used each others' phones, and can say quite conclusively that neither of us would swap.

Seriously, please tell me what I'm missing out on.

This sony reader / kindle debate that's going on. Apple won't let you buy content for an app that doesn't go through their API. oh.... except the will with amazon because they are a special case for some reason. If apple want to retain so much control they should subsidize the cost further. You wouldn't buy a PC and then expect microsoft to tell you what software you can or can't install on it would you?

rant-ette over. I can seem, and accept, that for some people the iPhone is easier to use and it is shinier, but there is no way that the iPhone is better (which was my original point). You only need to change all the stuff on android if you want to. If you don't, then it works just fine straight out of the box, just like an iPhone. oh.... and you don't need to use that horrendous piece of garbage that is iTunes.

I'm lost, you shouldn't buy an iPhone because of kindles?

and you don't need to use that horrendous piece of garbage that is iTunes.

You only really need to connect to iTunes to upload stuff from your itunes library, update the firmware or do a backup/restore (how do you do those on Android again..? 😉 ). I sync maybe once every couple of months, mainly just for a backup.

update the firmware or do a backup/restore (how do you do those on Android again..? )

Over the air. tadaaaaa. music and other files do need copying on, but you can do that over wifi with a file browser (how do you do that again on an iPhone?) or with a usb cable and explorer onto your SD card (where does that go on your iPhone again?).

Over the air. tadaaaaa.

Yeah. TBH, if you're looking to promote the iPhone then software synchronisation really isn't the best example. (-:

I can't actually remember the last time I plugged my phone into a computer. If I want to put music on it or get photos off it I just switch the WiFi on and browse to a network drive. The last firmware update I did was over the air (though I did have the complicated task of pressing the [yes] button), and most application updates happen automagically in the background without me having to do a thing. My contacts, calendar events etc all sync with Google in near-realtime. And all of that is, of course, fully customisable.

Over the air. tadaaaaa

My Wife's needs USB cable to update.

where does that go on your iPhone again?

It don't need one it comes memory as standard.

I love my iPhone brilliant piece of technology, my Wife's android is also very good but find it more fiddly to use than the iPhone. There much of a muchness so get what you prefer is the answer.

Gosh. Its amazing what people get their knickers in a twist about these days.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

HTC Desire FTW!!!

My Wife's needs USB cable to update.

And here we see a disadvantage of Android - lack of consistency between manfacturers.

The (crap) Samsung I had previously was the same, it needed to be plugged in to do updates (which was really useful when the update software shipped with the Galaxy didn't have the phone included in its list of supported devices).

Not to mention the gmail bug too.

[url= http://androinica.com/2010/06/07/how-to-fix-uk-android-market-download-and-gmail-log-in-errors/ ]Update fail[/url]

It don't need one it comes memory as standard.

The same is true of many Android phones, just that you've got the option to expand it. (and if we're willy-waving, an extra 16gb would set me back about fifteen quid; the same upgrade to an iPhone would add £100 to the purchase price).

Drac - Moderator

I love my iPhone

Really ? that's pretty sad......

Not to mention the gmail bug too.

Changing your email address may causes login problems unless you clear the application cache? Last summer, on a previous version of Android? Wow, thanks for the heads-up, I'd better sell my phone immedately.

More seriously,

Modern technology isn't perfect. If it was, we wouldn't have firmware updates, software patches, etc etc. The complexity of modern smartphones (be that Android, iPhone or whatever) means that you're going to get bugs occasionally.

What's more important is how those bugs get dealt with (which in the case of Samsung with the Galaxy was "not at all"). Apple to their credit are pretty swift at getting updates out when issues are found.

Changing your email address may causes login problems unless you clear the application cache? Last summer, on a previous version of Android? Wow, thanks for the heads-up, I'd better sell my phone immedately.

Nope still happens and as the link tells you clearing the cache doesn't always work. I didn't change the wife's email like it says on the link it's to do with UK gmail accounts. I had to go to gmail and allow googlemail and gmail login emails and then do a phone reset on her phone. All because they've still not fixed the bug that's been there since last summe as you pointed out.

What's more important is how those bugs get dealt with

Very, so ignoring the gmail bug is really bad.

Really ? that's pretty sad......

Thanks for your interesting contribution.

Very, so ignoring the gmail bug is really bad.

No arguments here if that's the case. What version of Android is it?

Incidentally, going back to the OP,

Really liked the Iphone,

You don't have to upgrade just because you can. Going from the 3GS to the 4 is evolution rather than revolution, I'd be tempted to drop to a SIM-only tariff (£10 / month + £5 data bolt-on) and save a few hundred quid.

No arguments here if that's the case. What version of Android is it?

Be the one before current upgrade, so maybe just maybe 2.1 has fixed it.

Can't prise the bloody thing out of the Mrs hand to upgrade it to 2.1 though.

Drac - Moderator

Thanks for your interesting contribution.

You're more than welcome 8)

But seriously, do tech-gadgets like phones and laptops really inspire that degree of enthusiasm ?
I'm genuinely surpirsed that's all, not trying to be offensive........

> Over the air. tadaaaaa.
Yeah. TBH, if you're looking to promote the iPhone then software synchronisation really isn't the best example. (-:

Actually what I was snidely getting at was that backup/restores are a great feature that iTunes brings in.

If I have a brand new iPhone because my last one got upgraded/nicked/destroyed-in-a-freak-knitting-accident then I can plug it into iTunes and it will say something along the lines of "Hey a new phone. Do you want me to restore 'Graham's iPhone' to it?"

Selecting that essentially gives me back my old phone. [u]Everything[/u] is restored: music, movies, photos, apps, contacts, books, uploaded documents, browser favourites, all settings for the phone and all apps, text messages, custom dictionary, ringtones, alarms etc etc.

Unless things have changed recently Android doesn't do this. It only backs up a tiny fraction of the phone contents. Not that I'd fancy waiting while 32GB was backed-up/restored "Over the air."

tadaaaaa. 🙂

HTC Desire here, like it but camera aint that hot....

Wife has a MS 7 one, samsung thing very nice. Lot of folk say WM7 is gash, but most of them aint actually used it. V nice interface and lovely screen. Folk bang on about no copy and paste, but its easy to live without it until the update next month. Maybe worth checking out... Pretty cheap and nicer than my regular desire.

I can't actually remember the last time I plugged my phone into a computer. If I want to put music on it or get photos off it I just switch the WiFi on and browse to a network drive

Currently looking at phones for MrsM, so if we are getting into the detail:

1) How do you sync an iPhone with Outlook?
2) How do you sync an iPhone to your iTunes music library which is on a different machine to the one with Outlook on

But seriously, do tech-gadgets like phones and laptops really inspire that degree of enthusiasm ?
I'm genuinely surpirsed that's all, not trying to be offensive........

In the same way people get enthusiastic about bikes?

HTC Desire here, like it but camera aint that hot....

Ever tried using it with the back cover removed?

If I have a brand new iPhone because my last one got upgraded/nicked/destroyed-in-a-freak-knitting-accident then I can plug it into iTunes and it will say something along the lines of "Hey a new phone. Do you want me to restore 'Graham's iPhone' to it?"

Yep, true enough, had to do the same with the OH's after she lost it. There was a bit of a frig getting paid-for apps to transfer though, there's some counter-intuitively worded option or other I had to find. Other than that though, yes, it's impressive.

Unless things have changed recently Android doesn't do this.

Well, yes and no. Any data I have that's of any importance is synced with "the cloud" on the fly. There's no native "back up my phone" routine, but Android being Android there's a gamut of application choices to do exactly that.

As well as third party applications (eg, Titanium Backup), some manufacturers bundle PC-hosted backup solutions, and there's also custom recovery partitions (Nandroid) which can back up to the SD card.

There's a thing as too much choice of course, so if you just want "the" backup solution rather than confusing options then the iPhone is for you. It's not for me, because that's precisely what I don't want.

Syncing outlook

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/synchronize-outlook-and-apple-iphone-or-ipod-touch-contacts-HA010266802.aspx

Currently looking at phones for MrsM, so if we are getting into the detail:

1) How do you sync an iPhone with Outlook?
2) How do you sync an iPhone to your iTunes music library which is on a different machine to the one with Outlook on

I think the answer in both cases there is simply "you plug it in." I was talking about Android rather than iPhone in the post you replied to, I'm less sure about the iPhone.

I'm certain it's doable though. I've got a shared calendar running for me and my OH, which between us appears on two copies of Outlook, on Google Calendar, on her iPhone and my HTC Desire. It was a bit of a battle but now that it's working, it's working exceptionally well.

02 have said they will only offer me the same as a new customer, in fact they tried to use that as a selling fact, for customer loyalty you will be offered the same deals as a new customer! The fact that they are the most expensive up front and give you the least amount of minutes and texts doesn't matter. When I pointed out that they said that is the best they could do.

Three look sto be the best option if i stay with an Iphone 4.

Drac - Moderator

[i]But seriously, do tech-gadgets like phones and laptops really inspire that degree of enthusiasm ?
I'm genuinely surprised that's all, not trying to be offensive........ [/i]

In the same way people get enthusiastic about bikes?

I can understand bikes, but not techware - bikes I interact with dynamically in a 'whole body and mind' kind of way, gadgets I just press buttons and they do stuff (hopefully) - anyway, don't want to impinge on the phone love-in so I'll save this discussion for another time 😉

Be the one before current upgrade, so maybe just maybe 2.1 has fixed it.

What handset is it? 2.2 is current and widespread, 2.3 is surfacing. 2.0 is over a year old now.

I can understand bikes, but not techware - bikes I interact with dynamically in a 'whole body and mind' kind of way, gadgets I just press buttons and they do stuff (hopefully) - anyway, don't want to impinge on the phone love-in so I'll save this discussion for another time

That's my point none cyclist or enthusiast will think you odd for doing that, same we as none technogeeks think some of us are we weird for getting excited about gadgets.

What handset is it? 2.2 is current and widespread, 2.3 is surfacing. 2.0 is over a year old now.

Sorry not up to scratch with software numbers, Galaxy S.

love my htc desire hd. might have had a go on an apple but not prepared to pay a massive premium just to be a fanbois. as far as I can see alll the differences are jsut splitting hairs, it takes amazing pics/video, does internet, email, apps, and all the shizzle. I like its open source/hackability..

Sorry not up to scratch with software numbers, Galaxy S.

2.2 has been out on the SGS for a couple of months now. You [i]really [/i]want to get it upgraded, the stock firmware is dreadful.

Yeah will do, it wouldn't let me do anything though when google bug effected it, sorted that but it's getting it off the Mrs to sort. Seen the 2.2 had come out somewhere and that's when I decided to fix the google thing. Mrs then went on holiday for a week or so since not had the chance.

I'll nab it off her tonight when she's out at Zumba.

Ah right looked into 2.2.1 is out for Galaxy S came out mid January that's the one I'd seen. Downloading PC client now so I can do it later.

Cunning.

Usual caveat, back it up first (less of an issue if you're syncing with Google). It might need a factory reset for optimum performance, I've usually got away with it but YMMV.

Backed up but waiting on it charging even with 3/4 it insists on needing to have more charge.

Agree about the SIM only deal. i rang up t-mobile and managed to get put on a 5 pounds a month contract with 300mins/300 texts/internet. might be worth a try if you're happy with your phone?

I tried android and iphone, both miles better than Windows mobile (the old one) but i went with the iphone as it was just nicer to use.

How abuot Nokia N8+Symbian. I like mine....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I'll come back to this thread in a few hours 😆

Gah - had an N97 Mini on Symbian. It only vaguely resembled a smartphone with it's lack of features and seeming inability to actually carry out it's limited features without having a fit.

As for the HTC Desire HD - don't let me sway anyone. I'm quite happy that no-one else in the pub has one and all the iPhone users take a sneaky peek, then shuffle off to play with an app, whilst grinding their teeth at how good it looks....

GrahamS - Member

It doesn't matter. Never yet found a site that I need Flash for.

Online copies of ST mag are served as PDF - no Flash required - plus there is a STW iPhone app.
But not an Android one.

Oh and I'll take the higher res iPhone screen (960x640) over the "huge screen" (800x480) of the Desire HD any day.

Just because you don't think you need it, does that make it irrelevant to everyone?

Not a major factor, but you have to download the PDF, rather than view it directly.

The link I posted was to a very contemporary and relevant band.

As a footy fan, my club's website shows all it's video content via Flash.

If I use 64 bit IE, I lose count of the times I can't view content, because Flash Player hasn't been developed for 64 bit yet.

I'll concede that the iPhone screen is better to look at than the HTC, but I'm sorry, I'm not really bothered about viewing HD content on my phone and size is more important - especially when using the lovely big QWERTY keyboard in landscape view.

I'll concede that the iPhone screen is better to look at than the HTC

I won't, I dun a back to back with the two iphone 4's in my office and they boith agreed my desire hd looked better..

Granted the N8 is not as quick and sleek as either Android or iPhone, but it has got some pretty cool features.
FM transmitter is a brilliant, and simple inclusion.
The beta Nokia bigscreen is cool - turns the phone into a media centre when plugged into HDMI port on tv.
Swype keyboard although that might be out for android now.
Camera is awesome - have ditched the compact now, just use phone.
Video is excellent too - HD.

Oh, and the only reason I stuck with Nokia is Sportstracker. I have loads of history I didnt want to lose. A great app that my mates with iPhones+Android would love. Yes there are alternatives, but none as good IMO.

Its a nightmare to use/get the hang of, mind!