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View Full Version : Looking for some Gadget advice


Phillip Dyson
12-13-2009, 06:40 PM
Hey Thoughts Family

I'm looking to purchase a gadget in the January/February timeframe. And when I say gadget I mean phone/MP3 player.

I am a long time Windows Mobile user and would probably tend towards a WM professional device. However, I believe its a good idea to take a look at what's out there from time to time.

I like the direction of Android, however I don't want to be forced into Google's ecosystem. To be honest I feel like that is my only potential alternative to WM.

My carrier is ATT and I'm not looking to change.

As to the MP3 arena, I'm pretty committed to the Zune services the ZHD may be given. However I have a Z80 and it works fine. Ideally I would love to get it the Zune services on my phone but that's not here.

What do you think? What did you do?

Sven Johannsen
12-14-2009, 03:56 AM
Last piece of info that is needed is, how deep are your pockets? If you don't mind losing an arm and a leg to buy an unsubsidized device, it leaves you more options, than just being willing to sell your soul.

Personally I think AT&T really only has two viable devices at the moment, the Pure and the TiltII. I'm a touchscreen guy though. I went with the Pure, largely because something better in that format was too far out, and having had a Tilt, I didn't want to repeat the bulk. I paid full price for it, because my contract runs out the middle of next year, I expect something akin to the HD2 might be available, and wanted to leave that option open.

I actually like the device. It is a good size, does all the stuff you'd expect and even has an FM radio, along with the GPS and usual BT, WiFi, 3G radios. There is an accelerometer so it does know when you rotate it, but not all the programs are aware of that. You actually have three choices for basic UI. HTC has their TouchFlo, though it is not the most current version you see on the HD2. May be a performance factor. You can also use MS's new interface that is reported to be Zune-ish (I guess so), though it leaves that paradigm very quickly. You can still go with the old WM interface, giving you tremendous control over the home screen, though you lose a little in touch-friendliness. I actually think I got more use out of the old today screen with SBSH, SPB, and other enhancements than either of the new offerrings, but with no d-pad, and limited to touch, there is a tradeoff. You do get to decide though.

There still needs to be some work on user input if WM is going to adopt the finger UI philosophy. I can get by OK with the on screen finger keyboard and I'm not a little guy, but I still do better with the old keyboard and a stylus. Interestingly I actually like the MS finger keyboard better than my iPhone's, even though the screen on the Pure is physically smaller, making the keyboard a bit smaller too. The resolution is higher on the Pure than the iPhone BTW. I think a physically bigger screen (HD2?) could help.

HTC has added their own media player, along with the WM Pocket Media Player. Pocket Media Player takes a lot of heat, but I generally just sync playlists, select one and listen. It always did that just fine, still does. HTCs interface is prettier, plays the same files. In reality though if I want to be entertained, I have a Zune, actually several, including an HD. That is a nice little unit. About the same size as the Pure, but only half as thick. Always leaned towards a seperate media device, because I can afford to end my flight with a dead Zune, but not a dead phone. You can of course get the backup battery packs, but they are as big as the Zune, so you are still carrying two things.

So that's my 2 cents, starting with the presumption you would rather sell your soul than lose an arm and a leg. If you are up for the latter, maybe someone else will pipe up.

P.S. I do have and use an iPhone as a secondary device. I used it exclusively for about 6mos, so I think I gave it a fair chance. I don't get the hype. Can't say it is a bad device, on the contrary, it is quite slick. Well engineered hardware (except for the button-phobia), quick (but should be doing only one thing at a time) pretty stable (and with everything running in a sandbox it should be), and relatively easy to use, though it does take some getting used to if you are coming off of WM. One big drawback is the lack of customization/personalization. The interface is the interface, period. Home screen list of apps, open one, run it, close it, back to the home screen list of apps, run something else, etc. So, that's my take on iPhone for what it's worth.

Lee Yuan Sheng
12-14-2009, 04:14 AM
I'd give the carrier the middle finger and wait for HTCs 2010 lineup. The HTC Bravo (3.7" AMOLED screen phone with 1 GHz Snapdragon on Android) looks good.

I wouldn't buy anything based on the older Qualcomm CPUs for WinMo. They're slow and painful.

The HD2 doesn't have US HSDPA bands, right? So that one's probably not such a good idea, though it's the first phone I've seen to not be so much of a pain on WinMo. It currently has a huge flaw with SMSes though.

Phillip Dyson
12-17-2009, 04:39 AM
Thanks for the advice guys,

Last piece of info that is needed is, how deep are your pockets? If you don't mind losing an arm and a leg to buy an unsubsidized device, it leaves you more options, than just being willing to sell your soul.


My pockets are as deep as they used to be. I paid around $700 for the HTC Titan. I might be able to get away with $400 dollars with minimal buyer's remorse.

How about an Android device. I don't think a "Google" phone is for me. I'm not interested in their ecosystem. But an Android phone might be okay.

Then there is the Zune HD....

Phillip Dyson
12-30-2009, 08:19 PM
Okay, so here is what I think I'll do...

I think I've decided to get the Zune HD with a $150 gift card that my wife gave me for Christmas. Here's my thinking.

I'm a Zune subscriber and the HD is arguably superior to my Zune80 in every way, except capacity. I can probably live with that. The HD may not become all the things that I hope to be, but at the end of the day its a top notch media player. The only thing that would disappoint me is if I purchase it today, and they announced a hardware revision tomorrow. It is only capacity then I'm okay. But if they add bluetooth or something... Perhaps I should wait until after CES.

I think we're at a cross roads for phones right now. Perhaps by the time I'm ready for a gadget purchase again there will be some interesting developments.

Update: Okay, my Christmas gift card went down in flames. And a shiny 32GB Platinum Zune HD has risen from the ashes. I guess I'll be updating my signature.