Look What the Courier Delivered Today: The HTC Snap

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.htc.com/europe/product/snap/overview.html' target='_blank'>http://www.htc.com/europe/product/s...p/overview.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/spt/auto/1244754707.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>It seemed like everyone in the world was getting their hands on the <a href="http://www.htc.com/europe/product/snap/overview.html" target="_blank">HTC Snap</a>, and thanks to our friends at <a href="http://www.expansys-usa.com/d.aspx?i=180983&amp;partner=sthoughts" target="_blank">Expansys</a> [Affiliate], I'm able to check it out in person. I'll be shooting a video of it today or tomorrow - I only hope it can live up to the hype...I was such a huge fan of the T-Mobile Dash, I was thrilled when HTC decided to get back into the game with this form factor. Any Snap owners out there yet? How are you liking yours so far?</p>

[John Cody]

Hey Jason,

I don't know how many other people are interested - but I'd like to know how usuable the trackball is as compared to the 4-way pad of the dash...

Specifically, with the dash, when I wanted to navigate a pop-up window or hit a note in guitar hero, the click of the pad button was when I expected it and exactly how I planned it. If I wanted to select a menu item two positions down, I would press the down-button twice to hilight it and there was no error rate with this operation.

But, with the trackball, it seems like I'll be shooting over or under the desired menu item because there is no easy 1-to-1 correlation of my thumb rolling to a certain distance and how many menu items will be skipped over for that roll.

It just seems like a trackball is a little counter-productive, meaning it seems like if your desired selection is more then 2 positions away, it's a lot of repetitive full-motion rolls and repeat action of your thumb to get there, as opposed to doing with the dash in which your thumb stays still with only a pre-determined set of depressions to get to your desire selection.

I am real curious what your "thoughts" are on this.

P.S. I am a little disappointed that they moved the mini-usb jack to the side of the snap instead of the bottom like it was with the dash - with it at the bottom it made it so easy to "dock" my dash in it's desktop docking charger. Now it seems like I'll have to dock it, then manually attach a flapping-in-the-breeze cable into the side of it to sync/charge.

P.S.S. And I am dissapointed that they put the camera smack in the middle of the phone. with the dash, the camera was offset, so when I clipped it into my holster, the camera could still "see". But with the camera location in the snap, it would be right where the hinge of the holster would be, which virtually makes it impossible to design a holster that will allow the camera to see while holsted (is this a word?).

[Jason Dunn]

I don't know how many other people are interested - but I'd like to know how usuable the trackball is as compared to the 4-way pad of the dash...

I concur - I've never seen a track ball system that I like. We'll see if this is any better...

P.S. I am a little disappointed that they moved the mini-usb jack to the side of the snap instead of the bottom like it was with the dash - with it at the bottom it made it so easy to "dock" my dash in it's desktop docking charger.

I agree - I'm a big fan of bottom-mounted charging/sync ports because they make everything easier. Side-mounted? A bit of a pain.

P.S.S. And I am dissapointed that they put the camera smack in the middle of the phone. with the dash, the camera was offset, so when I clipped it into my holster, the camera could still "see".

You're on your own with this one. ;) I don't use a holster, but why would it matter if the camera could see when it was in the holster - are you taking photos without taking it out of the holster? That sounds...nefarious. :D

[John Cody]

You're on your own with this one. ;) I don't use a holster, but why would it matter if the camera could see when it was in the holster - are you taking photos without taking it out of the holster? That sounds...nefarious. :D

Actually, I may be unique with this one but let me explain...

My phone is always in its holster (with the front of the phone facing out from the holster) when I am on the phone or not. I actually don't use the belt-clip of the holster to attach it to my belt. When I am done using my phone, I simply slide the phone (while in the holster) into my front pocket, with the belt clip of the holster staying on the outside of my front right pocket. In other words, when I am not using my phone, it's entirely in my front pocket, with the exception of the belt-clip part being the only thing visible outside my pocket.

This method has some advantages:

1) Since the phone is never on my hip/belt and exposed to the world, there is nothing to accidental bump into as I pass through doorways or sit in a chair that would break it off or bump it out onto the floor.
2) When the phone is in my pocket, the front of the phone is facing the front of my right thigh and touching the smooth cloth of the inside of my pocket - so I never had a scratch on the screen in over 6+ years.
3) When I want to use the phone, my right thumb goes into my pocket and grabs the top part of the phone's display and my index finger grabs the top part of the holster belt clip and I simply slide the phone out of my front pocket and use it without ever taking it out of the holster.
4) Without a holster, if I were to put the phone into my pocket, the phone would simply drop to the bottom of my front pocket and get all scratched up from any coins I might have in my pocket. But with the holster, the belt clip on the outside of the pocket doesn't let the phone drop all the way to the bottom of my pocket - it keeps the phone "floating" half-way down my pocket so it never touched anything already in my pocket.
5) You don't look as nerdy with a phone on your hip because when the phone is not in use, it's hidden in your pocket.

This method of using a holster may sound a little unusual, but give it a try and you may like it - I use this method with my DASH and my MPX-220 before that and it has worked well for me.

[Jason Dunn]

P.S.S. And I am dissapointed that they put the camera smack in the middle of the phone.

I'm just about to post my video of the Snap to the front page, but wanted to point out that the camera definitely isn't in the middle of the phone. It's near the top, maybe 3/4ths of an inch from the top. Just like th Samsung Jack, though lower than the Dash. I've never seen a camera as high up on a chassis as the Dash!

[John Cody]

I'm just about to post my video of the Snap to the front page, but wanted to point out that the camera definitely isn't in the middle of the phone. It's near the top, maybe 3/4ths of an inch from the top. Just like th Samsung Jack, though lower than the Dash. I've never seen a camera as high up on a chassis as the Dash!

I'm sorry - I meant to say horizontal center - meaning because it horizontally in the middle, the belt-clip of any holster will block the lens.

Because the dash had it in the top left corner, the belt-clip of my holster doesn't cover up the lens.

It's not a big problem....what I am really eager to hear is your comments on the trackball.

P.S. Did you know that the Snap for Sprint not only doesn't have the trackball (it's a pad like the dash), it also has the mini-usb on the bottom! (the major problem being that the sprint version doesn't have wifi :(