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[Merged] HTC Desire - Android Smartphone w/AMOLED screen, SenseUI, 5MP Camera

Honestly.. i cant see Apple dying out anytime soon... Everything is so simple that its crazy.. Theirs not any other phone that makes it so simple to back up your phone, sync contacts, music, apps, calendars, notes.. and the list goes on.. Not to mention all the perks that companies are giving us.. For example. I was at the movies last night. Before the previews came on. Their was an advertisement talking about a new movie app thats in the appstore.. The attention that iphone users get from companys is amazing. No one can deny that..
Heres a problem i have with android. And eventually people who have bought their phone, eventually will regret it.. Android is a great operating system. But theirs just to many versions of android.. Google is releasing upgrades so fast that manufacturers cant keep up. For example, the new Motorola android phone for At&t comes with android 1.5.. wtf? and do you actually think Motorola is going to keep providing upgrades for that device?? no.. i can see motorola providing an upgrade to 2.0 but by the time they do that, Android 3.0 is going to be out... After 6 months, manufacturers like motorola and htc will stop providing upgrades for that device. Why should they provide an upgrade for free when they can just use all that time and energy to create a new device and make more money?? Apple is the only phone company that has provided upgrades for devices thats 3 YEARS OLD!! We all know what happens when your not on the most current operating system.. You cant get the latest and greatest apps..
 
I would like to think that Apple notices that there are some very nice phones coming out soon and the next iPhone will be more than just an updated version of what we've had. Aside from internal improvements and software enhancements, the iPhone 3GS isn't that much different from the original iPhone at first glance.
I'll be waiting patiently for the new iPhone this summer, but if I'm not impressed I'll be shopping for another phone.

And yes, "iPhone killer" is a horrible way to describe any new phone and sets it up for failure.
 
NorrisKillsKids said:
I don't think that's been confirmed yet. It would be stupid for them not to bring it but until they announce it themselves I shall continue to ridicule it :p
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I was speaking with a very smart AT&T customer service rep about my upgrade coming up in August. I wanted to confirm that I can upgrade etc. We got to talking about all kinds of things and I happened to mention the HTC Desire coming to AT&T. I spoke as if it was common knowledge because I thought it was. She spoke with me about it as if it was common knowledge as well.
 
Well...I am going to say this.

I have an HTC Desire and if i am totally honest it is better in every way than my old Iphone 3g, which is still sitting next to me looking all sad :(

The sense UI imo is smoother than iphones UI, the pictures this phone takes are better than anything the iphone can produce, and the videos are good too.
A2DP works flawlessly so you can control your phone from the device.

Bluetooth file transfers work fine.
Faceook integration is amazing, although i did have to pay for an app for the iphone which does the same.
Navigation is the same as iphone
swipe and pinch and zoom is as smooth as iphone
A few things after playing with it for a while is the fact when you are browsing the web the fixed buttons for going back etc are amazing, they are in perfect postion when in landscape mode to backup on website, it's genius.
Bookmarks are like IE8 suggested sites
Exchange is as quick to setup and works the same as iphone
Music player is no different, to me it seems the same but maybe a little more user friendly.

Nothings going to kill the iphone, the iphone is great but I will say this, if you get a HTC Desire you will NOT go back to an iphone, customization is what it's all about and it's only when you use a different phone that you actually see how locked the iphone is.

I put a couple of videos on XDA forum, I will link them here, just me playing with a2dp in the car, take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgtEDCWpLgY

Remember though I have a 3g not 3gs so to compare speed is not really fair.
 
iphonenub said:
I have been with apple since I was little and got my first iPod and never thought I would leave them but after reading about the htc desire and hearing that it is coming to AT&T in the summer I begin to wonder, could the next iPhone be that big of an upgrade?

Htc desire full on review:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/htc-desire-679515/review?artc_pg=1

and if it is on AT&T when it comes to the us will they limit like the backflip?
These are just my thoughts anyone have some thoughts on the subject?
Click to expand...

Uhhh if u search up the new HTC evo you will be more impressed.... 4.3" screen new touch technology 8mp camera front 1.3mp front camera 720p video android 2.1 and the list goes on
 
The true iPhone killer will have to sway over 60% of iPhone users to another phone. Wow, that will be some accomplishment.
 
Simply asking if a product will be an "iPhone killer" implies that it won't.

Still, you should use the phone that you most enjoy and will serve your needs - iPhone or not.
 
elephunkman said:
The true iPhone killer will have to sway over 60% of iPhone users to another phone. Wow, that will be some accomplishment.
Click to expand...

The iphone has had the number one slot for the past 2 years or so, due to having the best software combined with the best hardware to give users a truely slick phone experience. Up until now there was nothing on the market that even came close to the iphone but now HTC have produced some stunning handsets that do give you that experience and even surpass it.

The iphone will always have it's core of customers, but the time has arrived where the iphone has met it's match :)

I think this is a good thing and can only make Apple try harder...or as alot of people are worried about they could just carry on trying to milk the handset :(
 
Just switched my iPhone for an HTC Desire

Earlier this week I had the chance to try out a friend's HTC Desire and I really liked it. I had been investigating phones other than iPhone for some time, wondering if they could actually work as well as my iPhone 3G (which is now out of contract) does.

I was incredibly surprised to see just how responsive the phone was. There was no jerkiness to the sliding animations, no delay when typing on the keyboard, in fact it seemed at least as good as my iPhone.

I stopped by the Orange shop where they offered me an HTC Desire for £150 followed by £20 per month for 24 months. After pondering for some time I decided to go with it, primarily because I'm sure that when the new iPhone does finally come along I won't have a chance of getting it for £20 a month and also because this phone seemed very good indeed.

I'm planning to "recycle" my iPhone with O2 Recycle, who have offered me £200 for it. So I've covered the cost of the new phone and I've got an extra £50 back too.

A few days on and the phone is still impressing me. The screen on this thing is incredible - it's so bright and the colours are so vibrant - it's really like night and day when you put it side by side with iPhone 3G. It has the same 1GHz processor as Google's Nexus One and boy, this thing is fast. It's insanely faster than my iPhone 3G - applications load pretty much instantly when you select them - often it's like they're already running in the background they're so fast. iPhone's fancy animations are nice, but they simply pale in comparison to the application being there when you press the button.

The battery is also much better - I've had it on since 5:30am (It's 7:35pm right now) and it's still showing 70% full. By this time my old iPhone would be crying for its cable before dying in a couple of hours. I know, my iPhone battery is probably worn quite heavily but still, it's nice to know you don't always need to have a power outlet nearby when going somewhere overnight.

Software wise, Android/HTC Sense is also very impressive. The ability to add not just applications but also small 'widgets' (like OS X Dashboard!) to the home screen is incredibly useful. Now I can view Facebook and Twitter without launching the applications and I can also see weather and stock prices as well. The Android Market is of course a bit smaller than the App Store, but I'm yet to find a function I want to use which my iPhone could perform which there isn't an equivalent Android application for.

It feels more solidly built than my iPhone 3G and it's nice that it doesn't have plastic on the back which gets covered in fingerprints. My old iPhone 3G suffered from severe dust ingress just after its warranty expired and I really hope the same doesn't happen here. It's also great to be able to remove the battery and add a bigger memory card if I want to.

More than anything, I'm enjoying the change. It's nice to turn the phone on and feel a bit excited about what it can do, rather than knowing everything inside out. I guess I just like learning new things but if this is anything to go by I might not be returning to the iPhone stable.

Does anyone have any questions about it? I know I would have loved to ask an HTC owner what they thought before I bought mine (even though I'm quite glad now).
 
The desire is an excellent phone. I think you'll enjoy using it.

I found using android took a bit getting used to, but after a while, I found that it was much more flexible, powerful, and extensible. With that said, the Nexus One's touch screen was less accurate then the iPhone and I hated android's non gmail email app. Plus I had to get a third party app to access my work's email. Using three completely different email applications to handle my emails was not cutting it. I eventually returned the phone.

I think google is on the right track with android, and I look forward to seeing even more polish and functionality.
 
Actually, I've been considering doing the same thing. I mean, I love my iPhone. I've had it for years now, and I know that it was and is the smartphone that defines the new industry it revolutionized.

But, I mean. It's old. We've had three generation of largely the same hardware and software. Sure, there have been some incredible improvements from first-gen, but its still the same basic UI and there is only so much a speed bump can do.

On the other hand, some of the new phones being put out by HTC are stunning. They get better with each and every iteration of their device. I've always admired the Sense UI since playing around on the HTC Hero, but back then I realized the HTC device itself just doesn't have the same power that the iPhone has. Fast forward to today, and you see these crazy Snapdragons and whatnot being put into these gorgeous, sleek devices that just look, feel, and run better with each generation.

I think the key to this is the frequency that HTC updates and releases new phones. While Apple releases iPhones on somewhere around a biannual basis, theres usually multiple HTC devices released per year. The open nature of the Android platform also has a probable effect on HTC's rapid improvement and innovation.

I'd say the newer and higher-end HTC phones recently released and those announced (Evo?) are better than the iPhone as we know it.

I'm waiting for the iPhone 4G before I give up this old 3G, but if it doesn't live up to my expectations, I might as well switch to what seems to be the fresher, if not better, product.
 
I too made the switch to a HTC Desire last week after being an iPhone owner for the past two and a half years. I didn't intend on switching completely, I got it as an additional connection on my existing iPhone account with Orange (bringing my monthly bill to £56). After a few days of using it as my primary phone I went back to my iPhone and it felt like a giant step back. My iPhone is now on eBay.
I agree with everything you said. The gorgeous screen, the widgets, notification bar, the replaceable battery, nice little touches like the animated wallpapers, highly customizable home screen, multitasking, browser with flash (which doesn't have any noticeable affect on battery life or performance) and apps which are currently not possible on the iPhone due to Apple's restrictions (such as a location-based todo list app. v cool!)
On top of all that, the much cheaper phone plan which will save me £336 over the course of the next two years compared to if I were to continue with the iPhone plan, and a better deal overall with more minutes and texts.
I still continue to love Apple and Macs, but for now at least, Android/HTC Desire is the better phone in my eyes.


For those who are interested, here are a couple of photos of my HTC Desire
The main home screen with weather widget, vibrate widget, contact shortcut and app shortcuts
Think of this as expose for home screens. You pinch outwards to activate it
 
One of the things I forgot to mention in my first post was how much I really enjoy having a hardware "Back" button. Rather than having some of the screen taken up by buttons, this small button allows every application to configure a "back" action, so if you're deep in a menu all you have to do is press it to go back one level. It also allows you to go back to an email if you clicked a link in the mail and it opened a browser etc.

Very useful and doesn't add anything to the weight or overall feel of the device.

jellybean said:
I too made the switch to a HTC Desire last week after being an iPhone owner for the past two and a half years. I didn't intend on switching completely, I got it as an additional connection on my existing iPhone account with Orange (bringing my monthly bill to £56). After a few days of using it as my primary phone I went back to my iPhone and it felt like a giant step back. My iPhone is now on eBay.
Click to expand...

Check out some of the mobile phone "recycling" sites out there too. I've just sent my iPhone 3G 16GB away to O2 Recycle after they offered me £200 for it.
 
Just checking that your desire works seamlessly with your mac?

I think I've found a good deal for one and loved the look and feel of it in the shop just want to make sure it will work ok with my ibook or imac.
 
neiltc13 said:
One of the things I forgot to mention in my first post was how much I really enjoy having a hardware "Back" button.
Click to expand...

+ million

A Back button near my thumb is a lot more convenient than having to constantly stretch up to the top of each iPhone screen to go back a level.

I'm a big believer that a device should cater to my physical needs, not the other way around.

I'm also finding more uses for the optical trackball, such as being able to flick between photos with only a tiny movement, versus large screen-covering touch flicks.
 
kdarling said:
+ million

A Back button near my thumb is a lot more convenient than having to constantly stretch up to the top of each iPhone screen to go back a level.
Click to expand...
The best thing about a back button is returning to the previous app for me when miltitasking.

Say you're using a Twitter app. You go from Twitter app > Tap hyperlink > Browser opens > read content > Hit back and you're back to the twitter app. Simple!

I use AppSniper to get free apps or apps on sale on my iPod touch and it frustrates the hell out of me that I can't easily return to AppSniper after visiting the app store from a link.

It just feels counter intuitive and the way multitasking works on the iPhone, I can't ever see iPhone OS working in such a way.
 
I want a Snapdragon/Android 2.1 phone on AT&T! There are Android phones on AT&T but they are for the people who text all the time. I have had my 3G since August 2008. Please, AT&T!
 
ThePowerOfTheMac said:
I want a Snapdragon/Android 2.1 phone on AT&T! There are Android phones on AT&T but they are for the people who text all the time. I have had my 3G since August 2008. Please, AT&T!
Click to expand...

There is the Nexus One, but you'll end up paying the unlocked price
 
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