You need to check out the facts on the homescreen mate, that is actually Microsofts "Sliding Panels" homescreen aka Chome or "Compact Home", nothing to do with HTC.
"Without a big touchscreen though, it's likely to be more hindrance than help if you try to use it while driving."
Should read
"Without a big touchscreen though, it's likely to be more hindrance than help if you try to use it when pulled over in a safe place, as using it whilst driving is not only dangerous, but also illegal"
Each week it seems news breaks about another HTC phone. These guys clearly have a plan for world domination or something... The reviews of each phone seem to also show ongoing improvement. From the reviews the phones are looking half decent too.
First: HTC have a whizzy UI for their touch phones that's very nice but what may not be clear to people is that as soon as you fire-up a third-party app you're thrown straight back to the the turn of the century and the WinMo user 'interface' because, in most cases, the standard interface design is rooted back in there (go look at Windows CE 3, it'll look very familiar). Some apps have a really good UI but there's no consistency between them because there's no UI design standard that they can rally around.
To avoid this problem you have to refrain from installing any third-party apps and then it's not so much of a smartphone.
Second: Still no push IMAP in WinMo? Seriously? I mean, seriously? I know; install a third-party app, oh, that brings me back to my first point.
@Tim Hale - People are never bothered about installing third party apps on the their computers so why should a pocket computer be any different. It only takes a moment to download and install a third party app. Also, third party apps are what keeps mobile platforms such as Windows Mobile and iPhone dynamic and more useful than having vendor chosen apps forced on you (ahem, Apple).
I am not even sure the hardware looks as nice...the E71 is almost perfect in that regard.
I think I will stick with tried and trusted S60 thanks...it has it's flaws but at least it tries to be a phone first. Every wincephone I have sampled (various HTC devices up to the Touch Diamond) have had horrible stalls, crashes, out of sync sound events and massive usability issues
About the only thing that will get me giving up the 71 is when Orange wake up and start offering an Android phone.
From Poor-man's iPhones to Poor man's Blackberries #
Posted Tuesday 21st July 2009 11:33 GMT
You've got to love HTC. After fighting Samsung, LG and the rest in conning people into buying something which looks vaguely like an iPhone but lacks the support, the features or the apps of the iPhone platform, they're now trying the same trick with Blackberries. Having owned numerous HTC phones before I owned a blackberry 8800 and numerous iPhones, HTC have little innovation, they copy. Badly. Their devices feel cheap and insubstantial often decently specced, but always always let down by ridiculously antiquated software. Even if you don't intend to install third party apps on the device and go back to the year 2000 in OS usability with windows Mobile, the HTC software is simply outdated.
That and you'll very rarely get updates if their current behaviour is like their previous, they aren't even up to the standard of Blackberry updates regularity, let alone approaching Apple. New week, new model is the way it is. Windows Mobile seems great on paper, until you try to use it. Tmakes you glad a certain company innovated, or we'd still be stuck using Wimo!
HTC Snap
B4PJS
Is the authour an idiot? #
Posted Monday 13th July 2009 21:40 GMT
You need to check out the facts on the homescreen mate, that is actually Microsofts "Sliding Panels" homescreen aka Chome or "Compact Home", nothing to do with HTC.
Anonymous Coward
Surely you mean... #
Posted Monday 13th July 2009 21:40 GMT
"Without a big touchscreen though, it's likely to be more hindrance than help if you try to use it while driving."
Should read
"Without a big touchscreen though, it's likely to be more hindrance than help if you try to use it when pulled over in a safe place, as using it whilst driving is not only dangerous, but also illegal"
Mark Legosz
Each week #
Posted Monday 13th July 2009 21:40 GMT
Each week it seems news breaks about another HTC phone. These guys clearly have a plan for world domination or something... The reviews of each phone seem to also show ongoing improvement. From the reviews the phones are looking half decent too.
Tim Hale 1
Two points: #
Posted Monday 13th July 2009 21:40 GMT
First: HTC have a whizzy UI for their touch phones that's very nice but what may not be clear to people is that as soon as you fire-up a third-party app you're thrown straight back to the the turn of the century and the WinMo user 'interface' because, in most cases, the standard interface design is rooted back in there (go look at Windows CE 3, it'll look very familiar). Some apps have a really good UI but there's no consistency between them because there's no UI design standard that they can rally around.
To avoid this problem you have to refrain from installing any third-party apps and then it's not so much of a smartphone.
Second: Still no push IMAP in WinMo? Seriously? I mean, seriously? I know; install a third-party app, oh, that brings me back to my first point.
Mosh Jahan
Does what it says on the tin #
Posted Tuesday 14th July 2009 16:31 GMT
@Tim Hale - People are never bothered about installing third party apps on the their computers so why should a pocket computer be any different. It only takes a moment to download and install a third party app. Also, third party apps are what keeps mobile platforms such as Windows Mobile and iPhone dynamic and more useful than having vendor chosen apps forced on you (ahem, Apple).
Robert E A Harvey
Yawn #
Posted Wednesday 15th July 2009 23:12 GMT
Said it before - not interested in winphones.
Why is the same hardware not available with a choice of OS?
Trevor Watt
@ Robert E A Harvey #
Posted Saturday 18th July 2009 21:21 GMT
Why bother reading the article then?
Wayne Stallwood
So pretty much an E71 #
Posted Tuesday 21st July 2009 09:10 GMT
But with Wincephone software.
I am not even sure the hardware looks as nice...the E71 is almost perfect in that regard.
I think I will stick with tried and trusted S60 thanks...it has it's flaws but at least it tries to be a phone first. Every wincephone I have sampled (various HTC devices up to the Touch Diamond) have had horrible stalls, crashes, out of sync sound events and massive usability issues
About the only thing that will get me giving up the 71 is when Orange wake up and start offering an Android phone.
robin thakur 1
From Poor-man's iPhones to Poor man's Blackberries #
Posted Tuesday 21st July 2009 11:33 GMT
You've got to love HTC. After fighting Samsung, LG and the rest in conning people into buying something which looks vaguely like an iPhone but lacks the support, the features or the apps of the iPhone platform, they're now trying the same trick with Blackberries. Having owned numerous HTC phones before I owned a blackberry 8800 and numerous iPhones, HTC have little innovation, they copy. Badly. Their devices feel cheap and insubstantial often decently specced, but always always let down by ridiculously antiquated software. Even if you don't intend to install third party apps on the device and go back to the year 2000 in OS usability with windows Mobile, the HTC software is simply outdated.
That and you'll very rarely get updates if their current behaviour is like their previous, they aren't even up to the standard of Blackberry updates regularity, let alone approaching Apple. New week, new model is the way it is. Windows Mobile seems great on paper, until you try to use it. Tmakes you glad a certain company innovated, or we'd still be stuck using Wimo!
HonourableTyr
No Opera? #
Posted Wednesday 22nd July 2009 01:03 GMT
You do know why right? Opera Mobile 9+ doesn't work without a touch screen! The enrite control system is designed for touchscreen phones.