should I shouldn't I?

[whotton]

Hi guys, first off just a bit of rep for androidforums.com as I've been using this site for some time over on the lg optimus gt540 sections.

secondly, the real business.. I've grown bored of my limited gt540 and have been searching for a new phone that will suit my lifestyle, and low and behold the DHD seems to be the one.

However having owned an android before i have a few questions about the DHD before i hook up on a 24m contract.


1. capacitive screen, is it any good whats the response like? this was the biggest downfall to the gt540

2. I know that having a tonne of apps can be a mistake easily made so do we have apps2sd and if so is it effective or just a waste?

3. I've been browsing around a bit (before i get told off) and have read that battery life has been an issue with DHD so has anyone tried battery's off ebay/amazon or am i best to just limit my apps and limit there download times ect?

4. For anyone who's made a similar jump from entry level android to the dogs jewels is there anything i should be warned about to prevent future let downs?


Any and all responses would be great and will be thanked

cheers guys!

 

[El Presidente]

1. capacitive screen, is it any good whats the response like? this was the biggest downfall to the gt540

2. I know that having a tonne of apps can be a mistake easily made so do we have apps2sd and if so is it effective or just a waste?

3. I've been browsing around a bit (before i get told off) and have read that battery life has been an issue with DHD so has anyone tried battery's off ebay/amazon or am i best to just limit my apps and limit there download times ect?

4. For anyone who's made a similar jump from entry level android to the dogs jewels is there anything i should be warned about to prevent future let downs?

1. Yes, it's very sensitive. Because I wasn't used to it at first, I found it a little too sensitive. However I got used to it and a decent screen protector helps.

2. With Froyo you can move the apps to the SD Card without the need for 3rd Party aps.

3. I get 36 hours on average so with a little tweaking, battery life isn't all that bad. From my experience, the batteries you get off Amazon/Ebay, are no better than the stock battery.

4. No idea, DHD is my first Android phone!

Hope that helps.

 

[eddiewawa]

1) as responsive as ever, and the fact its on so much real-estate, makes it easier to select stuff on the screen

2) yerp, we have apps2sd

3) to be honest the battery life isnt as much of an issue for me, and i hammer it with at least 1 hour's worth of robo defence, hourly pulling emails from 3 accounts, surfing in the bogs on wifi, and music for at least 1 hour a day, 20-30mins on youtube...and it'll go from 100% @ 7am - 20% @ 8pm. if im just leaving the phone to do its thing and not use the screen much...it'll last 2 days easy for me. if battery is a concern, do what im doing and get a small portable charger that can charge your dhd at least twice on the go.

4) coming from an old HTC Hero, this phone is amazing, the extra umpth is noticed, you get used to the large screen and realise in the future, you cant really accept any smaller & it'll run all the latest apps out there. oh and the camera is much better and dual LED flash helps.

hope this and the other replies help dude

 

[HunterWasser]

should! just like going on a new adventure.

so far so fun for nearly 3 weeks now. and there are a lot of helpful hints on prolonging the battery life on these genius phones, and im learning a lot more here.

i check mail, make calls, text a lot, read books for an average of 3 hours a day, the occasional angry birds...so i guess it makes sense i only have to charge it once after 19 hours.

but do "follow your desire" hehe

 

[whotton]

could i ask for much more, cheers guys!

just another quick one for those that have had a phone a while now,

reading up on reviews and what you guys have been saying on here the phone seems pretty WOW so is there a need to root?

oh and by the way.. DHD has been ordered and result..... like a child at Christmas

 

[whotton]

surfing in the bogs on wifi

dude that got me in fits.. much rep for that like

 

[landovr]

I've had this phone for five days now and i was a little worried about the battery life as well but on sunday night about 11pm i had 93% power left and decided not to plug it in overnight just to see how well it would hold a charge overnight and in the morning i was at 83%. I played around with it off and on through the day and when i went to bed i still had 34% remaining so i played stupid zombies for an hour and that took it down to 15%. So i made it almost 25 hours on one charge. And like eddiewawa said once you go to the large screen theres just no going back.

 

[widehead]

I know you've already ordered it but I must say - be prepared to charge your phone every night if you intend to actually use it as a smartphone and not just have it sat on a desk all day.

It has become obvious throughout the many threads about battery life that claims of battery longevity over 12 hours or so are from people who don't use their phones as they were intended.

Let's be clear - if you use the phone to make calls, send texts, send and receive emails, surf the web, play some tunes and maybe a game or three then the battery wont last much over 12 hours.

 

[eddiewawa]

yerp with the above there! lol

but with the rooting thing? I think 2.2 has been the most complete android ever IMO, ive not really found anything about the phone some other OS has that I WANT to have, so no, rooting for me is not required but hey if you wanna play with the diff ROMS then its your choice (and risk) dude

oh and to be safe? please order a case immediately!!! lol

 

[dvhttn]

I know you've already ordered it but I must say - be prepared to charge your phone every night if you intend to actually use it as a smartphone and not just have it sat on a desk all day.
It has become obvious throughout the many threads about battery life that claims of battery longevity over 12 hours or so are from people who don't use their phones as they were intended.
Let's be clear - if you use the phone to make calls, send texts, send and receive emails, surf the web, play some tunes and maybe a game or three then the battery wont last much over 12 hours.

Had mine since end of October and I'll agree mostly with that comment. I find that if I'm at home a lot where I have a PC for surfing/email etc then the battery can last 3 days. BUT in this case I have wifi and 3G turned OFF. They seem to be the biggest killers (to me anyway). As has been suggested, plan to charge it every night, "maybe" get a spare battery depending on how/where you're going to use it, and get a charger for the car. If I'm in the car I always have the phone on charge. That way it can be a Sat Nav and an MP3 player AND it will still charge up.

yerp with the above there! lol
but with the rooting thing? I think 2.2 has been the most complete android ever IMO, ive not really found anything about the phone some other OS has that I WANT to have, so no, rooting for me is not required but hey if you wanna play with the diff ROMS then its your choice (and risk) dude
oh and to be safe? please order a case immediately!!! lol

I'll concur again. Found no particular reason to root the phone as yet. In my case I've been in IT for too many years and loaded too many alpha/beta operating systems to want to do it on my phone!
But get a case!

Dave

 

[whotton]

Thanks for all the replies guys,

All seems positive.. just wish i could have the phone now, waiting for delivery is like watching paint dry. Ive been looking at a couple of accessories in the form of a 32gb card, a otterbox hard case and a desk stand with spare battery holder/charger.

Im such a child when i get a new toy!

 

[dijon]

whotton - I've had mine since it was released (was going to get an original Desire but then I saw the DHD in the shop!)

Apart from the SIM card issue I posted in the Support forum (which seems to be just me!) I've really really enjoyed having this phone.

My only critcism would be that with my Bury Take & Talk car kit it's really quiet, but then again so was my LG so it could be the BlueTooth cradle rather than the phone.

Once you've used the large screen, you'll never want to go back.

Battery life for me is ~30hrs with moderate use. It varies depending on how much I use it, but if I'm not using it as a SatNav (without car charger) I generally get to about 35% before I stick it on the charger overnight. I'd say it gets at least 3 hrs of actual screen use in that time, and constant data use (Twitter/FB/Mail/etc.)