Is it really worth it ......................

[mdv47]

Hi
Not having received my 1st "smart phone" yet,HTC Desire, (none in stock @orange) i have been trawling through this message board and i am beginning to wonder if i should just play with it and send it back whilst i am in the trial period !!.

I'm not too familiar with any kind of smart phone but it seems,after reading numerous posts on here, that there is a serious problem with the battery for the desire,mainly that it is not lasting very long and therefore not fit for purpose.

I may be wide of the mark by these observations but if you bought anything else and it had this "problem" it would be returned as not wanted.

I really want to be wrong on this as i have read various reviews all saying that this phone is the best one on the market but how can this be ?.

Please correct me if i am wrong on this issue and is there any kind of "fix" for the future ?.

 

[gibbs1984]

You have to remember that this is a smartphone, all smartphones have problems including the iPhone (my mates constantly moans about the battery on the iPhone).

Smartphones are like mini computers with the things that you can do with them so there's bound to be bugs and things that annoy people because the more you can do with something the more there is to annoy someone.

If you want a phone just to make and receive calls/texts then maybe it's not the best phone for you, although it's excellent at that too but if you want something extra with your phone, like a proper web browser, apps, touchscreen, super gui then this is the phone for you, you'll find forums like this for all other smartphones.

One thing that is great is that if there is an annoyance then it might be fixed in the next update or there's generally an app that will do that something differently/better, smartphones for me are about choice, they go beyond being a phone, they become a mobile computer.

I can't recommend this phone highly enough, this is my first smartphone and I didn't really see all the fuss but since I've used it I still can't put it down and I've had it a month now!

 

[Banzibarn]

I agree. The phone is more powerful than a laptop of a few years ago, so considering the power that it punches the battery life is OK.

 

[Kendoji]

Battery life is absolutely fine for a phone with these kinds of features.

If very long battery life is your top priority, you shouldn't get a large touchscreen smartphone.

If you can live with charging once a day, you'll be extremely happy with it.

 

[kboya]

Yup, it all depends what u use it for. If u don't use WiFi, mobile internet, gps, and all the other beauty features it has, just send some texts and make the odd short call, u can get 2-3 days out of the battery before it dies. I.e. if u use it simply as a fone.
The battery life is fine, it could be better but then again so could the results of the election!

 

[kboya]

Oops, repeat

 

[toadstools]

i agree with gibbs by saying that if you want a 'basic' phone maybe find that (they have problems too!) and as also said all smart phone batteries suffer but they improve over time..obviously depends how much you use the other apps,internet etc but i moved from sony phones and was waiting 9 months for the experia x10 to come out but found this instead and preferred it and am loving it overall..few niggles but can customise it and get round things.

am sure you won't regret it!

 

[Eugene's Mac]

Fact remains that if you want a Lamborghini you will need to stop at the petrol pumps a lot more than a Prius.

 

[mdv47]

OK all

Thanks for your informative replies,as i said it is my 1st smartphone(when it arrives) and i am looking forward to it, never been on the web with a phone before but i am sure i will get the hang of it,i think that i will persevere with it and just get used to the once-a-day charge.

Another learning curve in my life !!!

Thanks

 

[gibbs1984]

Just read this forum for advise on battery use (and for other things) and you'll be fine, enjoy

 

[matttye]

The battery life will seem dire to you if you're coming from a "dumb phone," but all smartphones have relatively short battery life because they have so many extra features.

When a regular dumb phone is sitting in your pocket all it really does is: -

- Maintains a connection to the network
- Alerts you when an alarm or reminder goes off, or when you get a text etc..

When the Desire is sitting in your pocket it: -

- Maintains a connection to the network
- Maintains a data connection to all remembered WiFi hotspots within range. It searches for hotspots constantly..
- Alerts you when an alarm or reminder goes off, or when you get a text etc..
- Pulls in your email
- Checks Facebook, Twitter and Flickr for updates
- Checks the weather in your local area
- Checks for updates to your apps
- Checks for firmware updates

Then of course there can be any number of apps running in the background doing their own thing too.

If battery life turns out to be too big of an issue for you you can just turn off all of the bells and whistles when you don't need them The Desire provides toggle buttons to turn on/off WiFi/Bluetooth/Mobile Data/GPS.

 

[Quboid]

As for fixes, there will be larger capacity batteries. There's a couple of slightly larger ones around, although they are probably lower quality and therefore not actually any better in real terms. I saw that someone was making a much larger (nearly twice the capacity) battery somewhere recently, but it will require a new back cover as well and it will bulge out, which many people wouldn't want.

I'd estimate that my Desire's battery life is slightly worse than that of my HTC Hero, which was on par with an iPhone. However, I wouldn't swap it for either, no chance!

 

[@ndyk]

I can't recommend this phone highly enough, this is my first smartphone and I didn't really see all the fuss but since I've used it I still can't put it down and I've had it a month now!

I'd deffo agree, only had mine for like 3 days and it's awesome. I've always had Nokias till now, but can't imagine going back to them now!

 

[Shallow_]

Just turning off wifi whilst in my pocket helped alot. Place toggle buttons on home scr. and your good to go

 

[Nodders]

I wouldn't say the battery life of the Desire is a serious problem at all. Cycle length on my Desire is 1 and a bit days. I've always been in a habit of charging overnight so it really isn't an issue for me. I suppose the only downside is that if you go away for a weekend or similar you need to remember a charger to take with you, but then that has been the case even for recent non-smart phones anyway hasn't it?

 

[mcnob]

Until my Desire turns up I'm still using an iPhone 3GS and I have to charge that every night. I don't even really use it heavily but 3G use drains the battery like you wouldn't believe.

I'm prepared to charge the Desire every night cos that's just the norm for phones of this nature.

 

[wisewood]

The phone is an absolute delight to use. The battery life Is a small price to pay for such a great user experience. Charge at home and in the car, over usb while at work etc and its not such a hassle really.

 

[Shallow_]

The phone is an absolute delight to use. The battery life Is a small price to pay for such a great user experience. Charge at home and in the car, over usb while at work etc and its not such a hassle really.

1pc USB CABLE For HTC Leo Firestone HD2 Micro 5 Pin NEW - eBay (item 170473663660 end time Jun-14-10 17:54:16 PDT)

At $2.59 incl. shipping worldwide I just purchased a couple more usb-micro cables to have at work etc..