Just Got The HTC Desire - Any Questions?

[InkofDeath]

The Desire has been out in Europe for awhile, but it was just released to Canadian customers yesterday. I don't think Americans have it yet. Been using it for awhile and it is definitely better than the iPhone 3GS in terms of handling with the buttons and touchscreen. The screen looks better in a side-by-side view. It's definitely a #2 phone if you put the iPhone 4 above it, even with the antenna issue.

 

No idea if anyone here is looking to buy a phone or one that isn't an iPhone, but if you are, and don't have anyone to give you 1on1 answers or anything specific, just ask away!

 

So far the only problem I've encountered is using it out in the sun because of the AMOLED screen. It really isn't as bad as people make it out to be, but it certainly is there. Only negative thus far. Inside with artifical light, the screen is amazing. Atually my monitor is like two years old and the screen on the Desire looks better than my monitor. Not really a fair comparison at all but it gives a perspective.

 

--> I've used the iPhone 3G and 3GS combined for 2 years roughly. So I know what I'm comparing it against.

--> I've had the Desire for about 10 hours now.

 

If anyone wants to recommend me some android apps, do so. I've got Dolphin, Steel and ChompSMS and some others, but am looking for anything else.

[Deltaer]

Yes!!! It's finally out with Telus!!!

 

It's definitely a #2 phone if you put the iPhone 4 above it, even with the antenna issue.

 

Really? Android users seem to say that the iPhone is a joke... that the brand name is what sells it and that Android phones are way more better (user friendly, customizable).

 

The only negative I see with Androids is the number of Apps... the iPhone kills it in that category... but the iPhone does have A LOT of useless apps.

 

Would you still say the iPhone is better (I'm assuming you've done the software update for your 3GS to bring it in line with the iPhone 4 software?)

[Sam]

What exactly is an AMOLED screen? I've heard about them but no one has ever given me a decent explanation.

[Sbrideau]

Yes!!! It's finally out with Telus!!!

 

It's definitely a #2 phone if you put the iPhone 4 above it, even with the antenna issue.

 

Really? Android users seem to say that the iPhone is a joke... that the brand name is what sells it and that Android phones are way more better (user friendly, customizable).

 

The only negative I see with Androids is the number of Apps... the iPhone kills it in that category... but the iPhone does have A LOT of useless apps.

 

Would you still say the iPhone is better (I'm assuming you've done the software update for your 3GS to bring it in line with the iPhone 4 software?)

 

I've never used Android and I think Iphone is a joke and that the brand name is what sells it (Well maybe the amount of apps too).

[InkofDeath]

I think a lot of the hate towards the iPhone stems from everyone wanting to see an open source platform beat out the #1, proprietary platform. That and the tech media fuels this with headlines like "Is This the Next iPhone Killer", "Android: The iPhone Killer". It's like there's this imaginary hate towards the iPhone because it is the largest selling or number 1 phone being sold. So I think those that have never used an iPhone start to buy into this to further justify to themselves that not buying an iPhone or not having one is somehow 'superior'.

 

I know the iPhone does have problems with AT&T and of course with Apple being the elitist company they are, but all things considered, the iPhone, original, was amazing. They've kept topping it every single time except recently. Only with the iPhone 4 and os4 update was Apple playing 'catch-up' for the first time. I think if we go back to 2008 and 2009, the iPhone series is still #1, but for so far in 2010, Android phones are really forcing Apple to go for a next big leap or be in a tight competitive race for once. Then again HTC/Android/Google/Motorola are all still playing catch-up with the iPhone, even if some of them have gotten on the same level as the iPhone, Apple still has time to do something extraordinary to put everyone 2-3 years behind.

 

In my opinion fan boy pride and the natural hate towards the #1 brand is what gets people to buy the android based phones. People overlook what android or iPhone offer or how the individual phones perform. I think in the sense of UI and user-friendly software, android/HTC is definitely a good distance ahead of the iPhone 4. Hardware, well for performance the Desire has performed flawlessly so far, even with having 3 tabs open in Dolphin, music going and doing a recording. I mean, I want to see the iPhone do that.

 

Flash still fails on the Desire, lol.

 

AMOLED:

 

An active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display consists of OLED pixels that have been deposited or integrated onto a thin film transistor (TFT) array to form a matrix of pixels that generate light upon electrical activation, which functions as a series of switches to control the current flowing to each of the pixels.[2]

 

The largest advantage and main reason is that it doesn't require an LED backlight. This saves space & battery usage (by a lot). But because of that, it lacks the ability to be used in daylight. Super AMOLED's solve this issue:

 

Super Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode or Super AMOLED is a display technology for use in mobile devices such as mobile phones. It differs from many other display technologies in that the layer which detects touch is integrated into the screen rather than being overlaid on top. The first company known to produce display units of this type is Samsung, when it introduced its Samsung Wave mobile phone on 14 February 2010. The Samsung i9000 Galaxy S series, including the Captivate, Epic 4G, Fascinate, and Vibrant, also use this display.^[1][2]Compared with the first-generation AMOLED, the Super AMOLED advantages are:^{[3] [4]}

 

• 20% brighter screen
• 80% less sunlight reflection
• 20% reduced power consumption

So pretty much AMOLED version 2.0, lol.

---------

 

] Would you still say the iPhone is better (I'm assuming you've done the software update for your 3GS to bring it in line with the iPhone 4 software?)

[/font]

 

I would say that it really comes down to that the iPhone is more popular. Software and hardware wise, there is literally no reason why either one is better or worse than the other. Biggest advantage is the unrestricted multitasking and coupled with the 1GHz processor, it is epic. The iPhone's pretty dominating reason is that it is so popular and everyone focuses on it. You don't hear about the new, big, bad android app. You do hear about even the smallest, stupidest iPhone app. It may be too early for me to really decide which one is better, but I haven't used the actual iPhone 4 enough other than a friend lending it to me. The Os4 really can't be used to its fullest intentions on the 3GS in my opinion.

 

Personal preference to be honest. The reasons I got the Desire was because I was tired of the iPhone, tired of the restrictions I had on the phone from Apple, and the price. I get everything and more on the Desire for $30 less than I did on the iPhone. Plus people have already said "Woah, is that the new iPhone?". Which has become irritating.

- I may be slightly incorrect on the AMOLED stuff.

[jasignhagj]

I want the new droid when it comes to Canada. Iphone plans here are [bleep]ing ridiculous, unless you plan to use wi-fi or keep 3g off, apps with ads and openfient will blow through your data, meaning you need to spend over $100 just to have a decent plan.

[AndyPandy]

I recommend Dolphin Browser HD (great browser, with easy to use and useful gesture controls) and Google Goggles (visual search) off the top of my head.

 

If you need to convince someone that android is awesome, just whip out Goggles and let it recognise something. They will be stunned.

[Teshiburu]

I have a HTC HD2

 

[hide][/hide]

 

Running WindowsMobile, which i have been let down by sadly used it for years no issues, but of late it is failing in comparison to some android devices.

 

Thankfully the devs over at XDA-DEVS have managed to shoehorn Android OSes onto the HD2

 

im currently running HTC DESIRE on my HD2

 

and now this handset is just godlike, some things still dont work as it is in development but damn its good

 

anyone interested in modding their, Android, or WinMo device should check out the XDA-Dev Forums

 

Tesh

[jasignhagj]

Can android phones run flash in the browser?

[Teshiburu]

@trol_slayer9 - yes they can

[Will H]

I'm going to get a Desire pretty soon, before I head off to uni. The thing is with iPhones is that people just don't want such closed systems to have such a tight control over the market. Customers are embracing open systems instead of closed ones, as the Flash debarcle shows. Flash might be buggy and owned by a pretty much faceless company, but it's still a work in progress and people have the freedom to do what they want with it. It's the same reason why so many people jailbreak any console or system that they own. They feel a fundamental right to be able to do what they want to the hardware that they purchase, and the iPhone system will never grasp that desire. I just hope that another OS other than Android will surface soon as well, lest Google go as power hungry as Apple or Microsoft has done with their own systems.

[AndyPandy]

I have a HTC HD2

 

[hide][/hide]

 

Running WindowsMobile, which i have been let down by sadly used it for years no issues, but of late it is failing in comparison to some android devices.

 

Thankfully the devs over at XDA-DEVS have managed to shoehorn Android OSes onto the HD2

 

im currently running HTC DESIRE on my HD2

 

and now this handset is just godlike, some things still dont work as it is in development but damn its good

 

anyone interested in modding their, Android, or WinMo device should check out the XDA-Dev Forums

 

Tesh

 

Modaco forums covers almost every handset as well. XDA only really covers HTC.

[dsavi]

How fast does your Desire boot? Does Android have a package management system? Have you rooted it, what does it require?