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Seriously considering HTC Magic...opinions?

D

dazcox5181

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 12, 2005
342
75
Essex, UK
Firstly, I'm not trolling or trying to start a flame war, and yes I know opinion here will be biased but that would work either way...

I got the origional iphone when it was released, and then upgraded to the 3g on week of release here in the UK; and I do love my iPhone and am lost without it but...I'm kinda getting itchy for a new handset (used to upgrade asap, sometimes running 2 just to get a newer handset - sorry just got short attention span!)

Anyway, 18months on with the iphone, and a new incremental upgrade around the corner makes me wanna switch. Was considering a T-MO G1, then the magic is out now on vodafone.

Anyone had any experience with this handset, or the G1?; I know it will be different to my iPhone, but Android looks kinda cool in the videos and emulator (was playing around with the sdk, for both platforms actually)

I have only the 1 macbook pro at home (its the wifes and I sold my macs) and a hacked osx MSI Wind, as well as my work laptop. Already use google apps as Mobile Me seems a rip off for what I'd use it for, so no issues there i suppose, I'd still have my ipod touch for music/vids from itunes, 2 devices no issue as i usually carry my psp or ds in my bag as well...

Looking for honest informed opinions please - I know a lot of the people on here are quite knowledgeable about these things :)

(oh, already using the 3.0 beta, so I know what thats like ATM, barring any major surprises at WWDC)
 
I'm not sure you're going to get any "unbiased" opinions because we're all pretty biased towards the iPhone :)

You seemed to have moved away from apple products and don't use any mobile me stuff. I think the G1 is not a bad phone but I don't think it can really compare to the iPhone. To me its like a beta, something that could be a useful product but just not at the same level as the iPhone at the moment.

Personally I think you'll be giving up too much but then I think the iPhone is a great phone and moving to another phone will be step down (yes I'm biased)
 
Yep, I've asked in a G1 forum as well, want both views (as their replies mostly come down to iPhone sucks (which it doesnt) and open source is best (which is a matter of opinion not really relevant to the end user)
 
Android definitely has some plusses (esp the notification system) but I just don't really care for the 'unpolished' look of the UI. You've played with the emulator so you know all about that so if it doesn't bother you then good for you.
I haven't used an android device ever, so take my opinion with a grain of salt but from what I've seen it can't match the iPhone's browser or iPod functionality.

It does have a microSD card slot which is nice though.

The iTunes sync with iPhone is great. The HTC Magic doesn't even sync with a mac afaik (officialy, though there may be 3rd party software)

I'd say wait 2 week and see what the new iPhone and 3.0 software have to offer before making your decision.
 
The HTC Magic is a solid phone. To me the browser is decent compared to Safari, but what kills the phone is the screen resolution.

Otherwise, it is a great looking phone. I am also a fan of Android, but Apple still is the best in my book.
 
In general I think that Android is a very promising OS, but I also think that it is a little bit half-baked at this point. Even from a UI perspective it seems a little bit clunky. I would go with the new iPhone (if you must upgrade) and give Android a bit of time to mature and also to move on to more interesting hardware. For some reason HTC can't seem to get away from the same boxy design they've been pushing for years (I had a Wing some years ago, and the new ones just look like smaller Wings to me). I have no doubt that Android will grow up to be a great OS, but it's still pretty immature, and it seems like a lot of companies are slowly warming up to the idea of producing hardware for it. I think a year from now the hardware landscape will be far more interesting. I would wait another year.
 
fr0 said:
In general I think that Android is a very promising OS, but I also think that it is a little bit half-baked at this point. Even from a UI perspective it seems a little bit clunky.
Click to expand...
Agreed and that's been my feeling, its like google rushed it out of the door before really putting the final touches on it. Regardless of what you may think of the Pre or the iPhone, both phones appear (the pre's not out in the wild yet) have a much more polished and finished looks.

What might help android based environments is news that Ubuntu may provide A kernel update in 9.10 to run android apps. This will help push android apps to a larger audience and increase interest in the phones.
 
I own both an iPhone 3G with 3.0 and a G1 with Cupcake. To be honest, I bought the G1 thinking it was going to be a great phone. My plan was to use the iPhone one week and the G1 for a week. Turns out I never use my G1, only at home just to play around with it. I much prefer the iPhone.

You know why I'd rather keep using my iPhone? Not because it's a better phone. The real reason is because of the apps the iPhone has and Safari. The browser on the G1 is not as good as Safari, in my opinion.

I would stick to the iPhone for now. Who knows, maybe you can even upgrade to the new iPhone.
 
Well my Magic arrives tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes...7 days to decide or return :)

I'll pass my 3g to the wife who currently has my first iphone on PAYG, so she'll like the free minutes & texts, and if the new iphone is a-maz-ing then i'll upgrade, if not try to blag a cheaper deal from o2 for the time being.

I'm sure in 12months time they'll be yet another iPhone due, which should by then feel like a decent upgrade:D
 
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