HTC Desire

[StandingInAlley]

Awesome review! The pics look gorgeous.

I'm really concerned about the multi-touch problem, is it a big problem because Nexus One has it too ?

[FransB]

StandingInAlley,

The Nexus One and the Desire as far as i know have the same Touchscreen controller ( A Synaptics ClearPad 2000 ) which wasnt designed for multitouch purposes, i like the phone very much but the Multi-touch issues also can be a dealbreaker for me, The Incredible and the Evo have a better Maxtel controller. but those phones arent in Europe :( .

[Master1]

this is out already, im so getting this :) much better deal than the iphone 4

[Boz]

this is out already, im so getting this :) much better deal than the iphone 4

Not to mention that even now both Nexus One and Desire and all the new Android phones have everything that iPhone 4 and iPhoneOS 4 will have..or might not even have

I mean seriously..

1. Voice controlled typing and searching

2. Folders anywhere and putting in them whatever you like

3. Live Wallpapers that react to touch and time of day

4. Unbelievable camera and resolution

5. Expandable storage with microSD cards

6. Replaceable battery

even regular Android 2.1 is KILLER.. it's fast, it's clean, it's mean.

[Master1]

Not to mention that even now both Nexus One and Desire and all the new Android phones have everything that iPhone 4 and iPhoneOS 4 will have..or might not even have

I mean seriously..

1. Voice controlled typing and searching

2. Folders anywhere and putting in them whatever you like

3. Live Wallpapers that react to touch and time of day

4. Unbelievable camera and resolution

5. Expandable storage with microSD cards

6. Replaceable battery

even regular Android 2.1 is KILLER.. it's fast, it's clean, it's mean.

Yea exactly, I was waiting for this to come out to get it, the iphone is just hype

[Nightwind Hawk]

Looks amazing!!

[Xerxes]

I'm still waiting for mine :( I ordered it 3 days ago online but Telstra still haven't approved it yet, hopefully they'll approve it next week and send it out in the next two weeks. Believe it or not but I actually don't mind Telstra (I currently have a Nokia N95 on their "Next-G" network, unmatched coverage) but their customer service is absolutely awful...at least the phone will be worth the wait :)

[Krpano]

Well, it has been a few days and i can give a little feedback about some details.

First, one thing i dislike is the microphone hole position.

As you can see it is in a position that when you hold the phone with your left hand to talk you end up most likely putting your pinky (smallest finger) over it to support the phone, thus preventing the sound to be received.

Second, i've been experience some odd problems with 3G/Wifi/GPS.

By default the phone use Wifi whenever is possible, so when you leave the house it is supposed to abandon the wifi and rely on the 3G to update the services/syncronizations you have.

In a few occasions i couldn't get the 3G to work and ended up rebooting the device. Happened 2 times with 3G and 1 time with GPS (which wouldn't work until the reboot)

The problem is that you tidy up your contacts to make work in perfect syncronization with Google Calendar and Gmail mail and contacts and once you are out of 3G, you are screwed.

Apart that i can say im completely satisfied.

If you are a Google services addict you can't go wrong here. The integration is amazing.

And be able to sync contacts with other accounts like Flickr/Facebook is a welcomed feature.

And the Android Market has some good stuff there.

My favourites goes to: 3banana, Task Manager, Astro, Barcode Scanner, RunKeeper, KS Uninstaller

[Xerxes]

Telstra still haven't approved my order for my HTC Desire...they took my money but the phone is still pending approval (ordered it last week) getting frustrated! :p....mind you by the looks of it, Telstra is doing me a favour.

HTC Desire Having Some GPS Issues hopefully this will be fixed soon for the lucky people who have already got theirs.

EDIT: The GPS problems only apply to Australian HTC Desire handsets, lovely.

[Krpano]

^ that sucks, what is the hold up ?....they don't have the device in stock ?

Anyway, i hope you will get yours soon...:)

I found (on the internet) a way to make the 3G work after the switch between the Wifi/3G without rebooting.

Have to go to Mobile Network Settings and let it select automatically, it will say "registered on network" then it might work.

This trick will have to do for now till there is an update.

[Hardcore Til I Die]

This is the best phone I've ever owned. At first I thought the battery life seemed a bit poor, but since then I've been turning off Bluetooth/GPS/Network/WiFi when I don't need them and the battery has improved a lot. It still easily lasts a day with everything turned on though.

I like the way that everything is integrated seamlessly into the phone. You take a picture and can instantly upload it to facebook, flickr, email it, MMS it, etc. View all emails, messages, updates, etc from a specific person from within the contacts app. Notifications for everything and they're unobtrusive and sit nicely hidden away until you're ready to read/act on them.

And the screen is incredible. It's so bright and nice to look at, even when the screen gets smudged with fingerprints you can't really see them unless the display is turned off. No need to wipe it continuously like you would with an iPhone.

[Xerxes]

^ that sucks, what is the hold up ?....they don't have the device in stock ?

Anyway, i hope you will get yours soon...:)

I found (on the internet) a way to make the 3G work after the switch between the Wifi/3G without rebooting.

Have to go to Mobile Network Settings and let it select automatically, it will say "registered on network" then it might work.

This trick will have to do for now till there is an update.

No idea, Telstra screwed up the order (not surprised) it will arrive next Monday....at least it's coming now.

The only thing I don't get it why the HTC Desire doesn't have a front facing camera? even the iPhone 4.0 is (allegedly) getting one, seems a little backwards to me. Considering how so many people bitched and moaned about the iPhone lacking one...

[red.]

I want this phone so much. The only thing putting me off at the moment is the battery life. Not sure what other smartphones are like but less than a day seems pretty poor.

[Xerxes]

I want this phone so much. The only thing putting me off at the moment is the battery life. Not sure what other smartphones are like but less than a day seems pretty poor.

iPhone isn't much better and I wouldn't be surprised if the others were about the same. Don't forget all modern smartphones pack some pretty powerful (and power hungry) hardware and well battery technology hasn't really progressed as much over the years :p Also, the battery life can vary hugely depending on how you use it as well. I've read you can extend the battery life a touch past a day if you turn things like WiFi and Bluetooth off (which I plan to do, I can turn them on when I need them but most times they are just draining precious battery life). If you want the phone, I say just go for it. Battery life is pretty much the achilles heel of most (if not all) smartphones far as I understand (correct me if I'm wrong).

[Xelar]

Look like a really nice phone.

I have to get one :)

[Master1]

Is this phone in the US for att yet ???

[Kerm]

Great review for a fantastic looking phone.

Thanks for your time.

[The Teej]

So is this supposed to be coming to O2 today? Phoned up a rep from O2 and she said it was supposed to be arriving April 29th... it's 1am on the 29th and no information...

[Xerxes]

So is this supposed to be coming to O2 today? Phoned up a rep from O2 and she said it was supposed to be arriving April 29th... it's 1am on the 29th and no information...

:rofl: Patients grasshopper! give them a chance to wake up :p

[Xerxes]

No idea, Telstra screwed up the order (not surprised) it will arrive next Monday....at least it's coming now.

The only thing I don't get it why the HTC Desire doesn't have a front facing camera? even the iPhone 4.0 is (allegedly) getting one, seems a little backwards to me. Considering how so many people bitched and moaned about the iPhone lacking one...

I was wrong, Telstra canceled the order and refunded the money today....they are unbelievable! so I'm stuck with my N95 :(

EDIT: Will find out tonight if I'm still getting it or not, going to contact them again and find out what they are playing at...you don't tell someone the phone will arrive next week and everything is in order and then cancel it the next day! for a reason that I was informed was not problem...ok enough of hijacking the thread with my HTC Desire issues :p hopefully when (if) I can get it I can post my thoughts on it :p

[LingeringSoul]

Really nice review, man. Love the pictures. I don't have the Desire, but I have the Hero and it has served me quite well for the four months that I've owned it.

Those WiFi+3G problems sound strange. I usually keep the WiFi turned off on my phone and just use the 3G radio though (I've never come close to exceeding my data limit, so no worries there). Sometimes my 3G radio will just randomly turn off for no reason, but then once I unlock the phone and sit at the home screen for a few seconds, it re-activates. Weird.

But yes, Android is excellent if you use the Google services a lot. I was a heavy Google Calendar user even before I got the Hero, and once I signed in with my Google account, I was in heaven :).

[The Teej]

:rofl: Patients grasshopper! give them a chance to wake up :p

Well apparently it's delayed until mid-may now, which sucks majorly. However, they have some really great value tariffs for people like me who text loads and use loads of data, but don't chat too much on the phone:

300 Mins

Unlimited Text

Unlimited Data

?35/month for 18 months, ?49 for the phone

To be honest, I'd say that's a fair deal considering the unlimited data really is unlimited. I phoned up O2 and asked them what their fair usage policy is on unlimited data, to which they said they had none, and I outrightly asked if I used 30GB a month I wouldn't get charged a singular penny extra, to which he said yes! I was dead chuffed! So I'm definitely getting my hands on this phone/tariff when it comes to O2 :)

[Alladaskill17]

Congrats and nice review

[Krpano]

Thanks for the compliments :-)

I ran into a small problem and i am still trying to trace the source.

Here is the small video of the issue in action, just in case someone might be interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWXNFxD4uyA

Sometimes while listen to music the player would go crazy.

I noticed that the headphone icon would turn into a headset icon, even tho i have a Sennheiser CX line headphone plugged in.

The craziness would start as soon as i touched the jack. (Yes it is properly inserted)

Maybe some application is causing some conflict, i dunno and at this point i have no idea.

I will let you know if i find out.

[Kudos Veteran]

I just rooted my Desire thanks to Paul O'Brien @ Modaco, now have access to the paid app markets and superuser apps like Wireless Tether. :D