Give me Pros and Cons of getting the HTC Desire

[ranman22]

Hi there, found this form on here today and I must say its looks like a great place to answer some questions I have about the Desire. I am looking at getting one within the next week. My wife thinks I should bet a blackberry but I want something new, different and cooler and after reading many reviews on it I think this is the right phone for me. I am not a young cool dude but a 40 ish male who still likes to think he is somewhat cool. I have only had a Lg dare before so this would be something totally new for me but I have a few questions for you knowledgeable people on here.

1) One concern about this phone I hear is the amount of space available on it for Apps etc. Really how many apps does one need and how many do people generally have on it?

2) Pros and Cons of this phone? Concerns? I will have it for 2 years.

3) My primary use will be for calling/some texting/surfing/. I have a very stressful job so when I do have a break just want something to play with etc. Also something to take my mind of these -35 Canadian winters.

So I am hoping you all will convince me. Thanks and I appreciate all your constructive feedback that I know you guys will provide.

Cheers

 

[lekky]

Hi there, found this form on here today and I must say its looks like a great place to answer some questions I have about the Desire. I am looking at getting one within the next week. My wife thinks I should bet a blackberry but I want something new, different and cooler and after reading many reviews on it I think this is the right phone for me. I am not a young cool dude but a 40 ish male who still likes to think he is somewhat cool. I have only had a Lg dare before so this would be something totally new for me but I have a few questions for you knowledgeable people on here.

1) One concern about this phone I hear is the amount of space available on it for Apps etc. Really how many apps does one need and how many do people generally have on it?

2) Pros and Cons of this phone? Concerns? I will have it for 2 years.

3) My primary use will be for calling/some texting/surfing/. I have a very stressful job so when I do have a break just want something to play with etc. Also something to take my mind of these -35 Canadian winters.

So I am hoping you all will convince me. Thanks and I appreciate all your constructive feedback that I know you guys will provide.

Cheers

hey and welcome. i'll try to answer theose for you. Others will have some opinions too!

1. you need as many as you need! People have as many as they need It differs radically. Someone like me, I have around 200. My girlfriend has about 15-20. I would say 30-40 is the average.

2. good phone, and quite cheap now. it will get the next android update, but likely nothing after that.

3. You will enjoy this phone


If you want to spend more money, get one of the new dual core phones coming out. They will still be top tech wise in 2 years time. Having said that, the Desire was grounbreaking only june of last year, so its by no means old tech.

You'll also have us friendly folk here to help you with any teething issues, general questions and app recommendations, which can't be that bad


And lastly, the desire is an infinitely better choice than any blackberry.

 

[matttye]

Personally I have never hit the app space limit and I have about 30-40 apps installed.

The only real downsides with this phone is the limited space, as you mentioned, and the battery life, which isn't a problem so long as you charge your phone every night.

 

[Nozspark]

I used to get the "low space" warning all the time... so I rooted, got a 16Gb SD card, partitioned it (1Gb ext partition) and installed a custom ROM (with ap2sd)

I now have over 80 user installed apps and 70Mb of my internal memory left.. you only get 148Mb for aps (stock)

As for the battery, if you charge it every night then it'll be ok... I know of iPhone 3g owners who have to charge through the day!

 

[czechplastik]

The Desire will be a year old in April and while still a capable phone it is looking a little leggy.

In the end I found the lack of internal memory and the battery life to be unacceptable.

I would look at fresher options if your budget permits.

 

[chris 290]

First, depends on your usage - blackberry very good for push email etc.

Desire is a great internet phone, strong on social networking.

Best phone I have owned, but if I was you I would wait for desire s, as that will have better phone memory space + front facing camera in a nice looking skin.

You could consider duel core phones as well as quite a few will be released soon.

Sounds like your already sold on android, so your going to make a good choice

 

[floosy]

Its a great phone..the best I personally have owned. Its also one of - if not the best - gadget I have owned...and I am a serious gadget boy (Im 42 years old btw ).

Its certainly got the grunt to do pretty much anything you want it to, to the point where i rarely take a laptop away with me these days. Internet? Check! Mobile gaming? Check! Watching movies? Check! Very good MP3 player (I use Pro Amp app)? Check! Download and mess with stuff as much as you want to pass the time? Check! Actually what I like about it above all is the sheer customisability of it. I get bored pretty fast so I am always changing the complete look and feel of my desire.

My desire is one of the oldest in the country (UK)...I got it from Carphonewarehouse the day they started selling it here. It has never missed a beat. Sure I've had to reboot it many times, but that has always been due to me screwing around with stuff on it. I finally just this week reset it back to factory default after 10 months of messing with it as it was starting to get a bit slow at times...took me an hour or so to get it back to fully customised with LauncherPRo and all my apps I want back on (somewhere around 40 or so) and now its as fast and fresh as the day I got it.

However... (theres always one) it IS now nearly a year old and in smartphone terms thats a generation. So would I buy a desire now? Probably not...I would wait for possibly end of Q2 this year and get one of the newest kids on the block, possibly the Desire S. But having said that, you wouldnt be disapointed with the Old fella if you couldnt wait till then and went out and picked one up right now!

 

[widehead]

Pros

- Android
- Google cloud connectivity (what Android was made for)
- Great screen (movies can look outstanding)
- Browsing the web is fantastic
- Runs lots of great apps

Cons

- About to be made redundant by new handsets
- Not future-proof (2.3 update is not guaranteed)
- Abysmal multimedia capture
- battery is a bit crap if you don't take time to set the phone up properly

 

[Usta]

Desire has been and still is a joy to use. Thanks to HTC it has received constant updates and is expected to get the latest OS v2.3 as well.

Without any rooting, you can fit in some 50 - 60 apps in the internal memory. Some apps are like 150kb, others are 15MB large.

About the disadvantages: the quality of the external speaker is bad, the battery life could be better, and the internal apps storage larger.
Other than that, Desire is a fantastic phone, that can still serve nicely.

 

[Hotrod Chop]

I am bitterley disappointed with both! I bought an HTC Desire for my consultancy business. After 6 months my Desire failed to boot up and kept turning off. To my mind, a software issue. I took it back to CPW who said theyd sent it back to HTC.

Eventually after 3 weeks I got a call from CPW telling me that I would have to pay

 

[alackman]

love the desire, had it about a year and if I was looking to get a new phone now (assuming I hadnt already got the desire) I would certainly wait for the Desire S coming in a couple of months. Not a great upgrade form the desire as only a few changes but great changes if buying for 1st time (much better internal memory, front camera etc)

 

[Red_Avatar]

Pros:

- sturdy and cool looking phone
- popular phone so easy to find support & to find accessories
- lots of great apps that come on HTC phones
- one of the most powerful phones available + great screen
- HTC Sense
- standard Android advantages (Google sync, multi tasking, open market, etc.)
- a lot of cool in-built tools like a GPS, compass, etc.


Cons:
- the touch screen isn't TRUE multi touch - you won't notice it unless you try to play certain games that demand it though
- the default camera app is so-so - the camera itself is great though
- no HID Bluetooth support - you need to root and flash to get it
- limited internal memory - again, rooting and flashing it solves this

I won't say the battery is bad because other phones have the exact same problem - it's just a result from having a powerful phone.

 

[Missing_Link]

Hi,

I'm on my second work-provided BB and although I like it for email, the browser is rubbish. The keyboard is ok but not as good as the older models where the keys had space between them.

So, for home use I wanted something different, otherwise it would be like being at work!. So, I got an HTC Desire. I really love this phone but there are some downsides IMHO, which I will list below.

In answer to your questions though...


1) One concern about this phone I hear is the amount of space available on it for Apps etc. Really how many apps does one need and how many do people generally have on it?

Yes, this can be an issue, but as an Android owner you will need to be someone who enjoys technical tinkering. The OS is fit for purpose (i.e. consumer ready), but you *do* need to get your hands dirty to avoid the memory issue. It's enough to make me consider going to a Desire HD which apparently doesn't have this stupid limit. So, if you pick an Android phone be aware that you will need to spend time doing management and housekeeping - after all, it really is a mini computer. I have about 109 apps installed. Depends what you want from it as to what extra apps you install. So, may not be an issue for you.


2) Pros and Cons of this phone? Concerns? I will have it for 2 years.

Cons:
- Camera takes good pictures in good lighting. Anything less, forget it
- Video is horrendous - I was truly disappointed with the jerky quality. Also the sound recording on the video is rubbish - it's low-quality AMR format. - It's never been updated by Google so I presume it is a hardware limitation. My old Sony Ericsson w902 took far better pics and videos, although the sound was kind of similar... but seemed slightly better sounding.
- There is a really annoying bug with WMA format audio files where the artist name shows up as <unknown>
- Battery life can be an issue. Upgrade to Android 2.2 and follow tips on the forum to maximise it. I can live with it. Consider that you will probably need to charge every night. I can get mine down to 30% charge and below by the end of the evening.
- I pushed the 16gb mem card to <500mb free and took some photos - it then randomly deleted some photos and videos from the memory stick. Not sure if this was the memory stick at fault or the OS not coming with a low memory situation. Either way, I was not happy. Again, like a proper computer, if you run it to the max it will not be efficient and will increase the risk of potential issues. So, keep 500mb free, or get a 32gb memory stick!.


Pros:
- Brilliant browser - "pinch" scaling and rotation work flawlessly. Video playback from youtube is great too. I copy music videos to my 16gb stick and the playback quality is superb.
- Music playback is good quality, although there is no graphic equaliser. One of the main reasons I bought the phone was to use it as an MP3 player (I use the Meridian paid-for player, it's really good)
- Supports H2DP wireless (bluetooth) headphones, and works very well in my extensive experience
- Screen quality is superb and is lovely to touch. You won't be able to put it down!
- The Facebook app is really good and there are some real good quality apps out there now
- Wifi support. I use this all the time. Works brilliantly
- Google maps with navigation. I used it to help me get round the streets of Berlin. Works really well, but data roaming is bloody expensive!!
- You can access the memory stick as a disk drive. Great for copying on files from your PC. I also use it with my Roberts DAB radio and use it to playback music through it. It's a great way to take your music collection to another room if you don't want to use headphones.


3) My primary use will be for calling/some texting/surfing/. I have a very stressful job so when I do have a break just want something to play with etc. Also something to take my mind of these -35 Canadian winters.

- You will love this phone for all those reasons. You will never run out of things to tinker with, apps to try, etc. Entertainment value A+

Hope this helps.

 

[R3vel]

Cheeper than the iphone and just as good. Dont follow the crowd. Get the Desire. It's the best phone I have ever had.

 

[Missing_Link]

Cheeper than the iphone and just as good. Dont follow the crowd. Get the Desire. It's the best phone I have ever had.

Totally agree... it's just a shame the all those companies that make the docking stations, etc. don't follow our example. Still I guess I am happy using it with my radio - I can charge via the radio and listen to tunes. What's not to like ?!

 

[Baggy]

I'm not going to repeat whats already been said in terms of pros and cons as I pretty much agree however one and only disappointment I have is the loudspeaker. I have 4 phones, 3 Android and one SE probably classed as a dummy now. Anyway to my point all have pretty poor loudspeaker I've tested all next to each other and the Desire just beats them, I think most people are picking up on this cos, everything else on it is top drawer so it sticks out like a sore thumb. The only other phones I've tried is my wife Iphone it sounds a little better in my view but not as loud which I also think is the Desires problem I can have it turned up just over halfway or until it distorts and hear people just fine.... One thing its fine with music through the loudspeaker just calls may be its the network???? but someone on here probably know more than me.

 

[BurnCK]

My main gripe is the loudspeaker, but I tend to use headphones when watching videos, etc, so it's not really an issue for me.

Internal memory isn't the greatest, but this was somewhat solved with the 2.2 update which allows alot of apps to be installed SD (although they still use a small bit of internal memory). I currently have about 10 games and 10 apps installed and still have about 35mb free which is still plenty of space for a load more apps / games.

Other than that, I'm more than pleased with my purchase

 

[Cougar]

Eventually after 3 weeks I got a call from CPW telling me that I would have to pay

 

[dan55]

hi,
desire is a good phone imo - possibly the best ive own - i think but i would wait for a newer one if poss - id get a dual core i think now - browsing is pretty good but not as good as id have hoped - but i think a lot of this down to network speeds - its a great phone to customise - i have approx 35 apps on mine - believe me you will need them

good luck
cheers
dan

 

[TheTrueSpin]

The Desire is the best phone I have ever owned, but it is about a year old now and new models have started to make it look a little dated.

If I was buying a new phone TODAY, I'd have a look at some of the newer phones before getting a Desire.

 

[tomhunter]

PRO'S:-infinitely customizable compared to crapple -widgets, shortcuts, folders etc
-fast processor
-android is outselling crapple now, 200,000+ apps now i heard
CONS:-battery life, which is fairly standard for smartphones nowadays.
-having to press power button to wake the phone. FFS why cant we use the optical
trackball!!! I have tried lockbot, but it was rubbish.
-internal memory is low, but it makes you appreciate the apps that you really need. it stopped me filling my desire with crap. I probs have 30-40 apps and still have 40mb free space. You can always root if you want loadsa space, but i think it bugs with the warranty.

My battery last a couple of days with moderate 3G, wifi, txting and calling. If you're a heavy user you may need a car charger or a spare one at work.

 

[dan55]

hi - try out Widget locker for screen unlocking - can use any button to unlock it

 

[steven9999]

I am 40 so I don't need (or want) hundreds of Apps, do I have never run out of memory.
I have 5 apps that work well for me. A train app, a tram app, a weather rain app, a game, and Speed test, that tells me I get 5mbps download from Telstra regularly.

I mostly use the,phone for talk, text and internet browsing, and maps occasionally, and the desire is perfect for me.

I just charge it every night and I have no battery problems.

So I have no negatives to say about it, only positives.

The only improvement I can think off is the speaker is better sounding on my girlfriends iPhone.

I love the track ball on Desire and it makes text editing so much easier. My girlfriend really wishes her iPhone had one!

 

[steven9999]

And I forgot to add, I really like Sence UI !

 

[dan55]

hi,
im 40 to and have about that many apps on mine

imo the track thingy could be better - its a bit of a fiddle to select text and the sensitivity of it can be a bit odd at times - i prefer the text selection on the iphone actually - but it just about works

although internet is better than my old iphone 3g - i still feel a bit unimpressed by it - lots of slowness generally - sometimes works quickly, mainly over wifi though but not always - hoping the new dual core kit coming soon improves internet

generally i really like it - just wished id hung on and got the DHD maybe

cheers
dan