iPhone4 or HTC Desire HD? Help.

[muppet_hat]

I think the HD size of phone is almost dependant on you been a certain height or something. I'm 6"4, so with my 36 inch trousers I have plenty of pocket space. What is more important is the depth of it.

Of course it is very individual, but for girls who keep in hand bags mostly its different yet again!

For the DesireZ? No they are dog slow, with sod all battery life. A mate actually returned his within the cooling off period it was most shoddy imho.

I'm only 5'7, about 31" trouser... I have smaller hands than you for sure!


Okay guys, sorry for jumping around... but as the Desire Z and Desire HD are fairly new... I'm continuously evaluating them based on reviews and user opinion... and it seems as much as I want to come to a conclusion, it might not.

What I've read so far through TechRadar and same complaints seen else where on forums and what not is:
Desire HD: Everything is great, except battery life with 1250 mAh. And some have complaint about the battery door that after opening it a few times it starts getting flimsy and may open on its own over time
Desire Z: it seems like the Z design for the keyboard mechanism isn't as great as HTC claims it is. After some testing and even going to the store and playing with it, it seems like long term use it may wear the mechanism and eventually cause the phone to become wobbly. What I'm also afraid of is IF I were to drop it (which seems to happen to everyone sometime down the road), I'm scared that if it some how lands when the keyboard is somewhat open, it'll snap the hinge and basically split the phone.

At the moment I'm leaning closer to the Desire HD, however after reading some reviews it seems like a lot are pointing in the direction of the original Desire, concluding that with Froyo 2.2 the original Desire is just as good, and you can save some unnecessary cash by getting the Desire instead of the Desire HD if you don't care for the bigger screen.

I like the bigger screen of the Desire HD, but am concerned mainly about the battery door. I am hoping the next phone I buy will be in good shape for at least 2 years. I am buying these phones unlocked, so I will be paying for them in cash, so of course I want to get something where I can look back 2 years from now and be happy with.

[Mossy]

+ I am considering the Desire Z... has anyone purchased that before? I heard of keyboard spring issues? And does the 800mhz processor make a big difference from a snapdragon or the A4 (1ghz) on iphone?

Iphone is not 1Ghz downclocked to 800Mhz or there abouts.

[muppet_hat]

I know that. I mean equivalent to performance on responsiveness between the down-clocked snap dragon (originally 1ghz) 800mhz on the Desire Z with Desire HD or iPhone4

[unreal]

Wow, 2nd thread I've read lately with an iPhone 4 mentioned and as usual; people who haven't used/owned it or the Android Elite Brigade are already slamming it. I've been on this forum for quite a while though and it's obvious that with a PC-based community there's a lot of bias against anything Apple related. Personally, I would say you should get the iPhone 4 for your girlfriend - it keeps things simple despite the heavy tech and things just work. With Android, if you have a problem sometimes things Force Close, or sometimes you have to use a task manager to kill 953485 apps that have remained in the background and then your girlfriend will wonder why her battery is even worse than it should be. The App market has only grown and the development support and amount killer apps are extremely attractive. If your girlfriend is anything like mine, appearance will matter somewhat and the more glamorous/less nerdy status of the phone will play a minor factor (so the iPhone wins there, all girls seem to think HTC phones look nerdy ). The reasonably good battery life and the impressive camera will really appeal too. I recommended my gf's older sister the HTC Hero over a year ago (during a contract renewal, she had several phones to pick from and it was the best) but now she's annoyed with the phone as its slowed down to a halt and sometimes she finds it difficult to just do something she wants to do on the phone. You and I may know how to avoid that situation but anyone not-so-tech may not.

I've literally just got an iPhone 4 after owning an Android phone for around a year (so I do know what I'm on about) and I really don't miss it too much, mainly just the well developed Google Apps. I'm not alone either, a pretty cohesive blog post was linked on Reddit recently and the large majority of comments agreed http://www.reddit.com/r/apple/commen...d_killer_apps/

However, to satisfy your curiosity I would recommend you get a Desire HD - battery life is truly horrible but if you're by a computer a lot of the time for work or whatever, you will have a lot of chance to keep it charged. Just make sure you check one out in a phone store first to really evaluate if it's too large for your liking, as it is beyond the threshold for some. My best mate was waiting for it to come out but after using it, he found it was way too large for him and got the classic Desire instead.

The Desire Z can't be safely rooted, yet, I believe - due to something implemented by HTC on it to 'increase security'. Apparently there's one method but pretty risky? Personally if I was that set on an Android phone, I would wait a little longer for the Nexus S to come out.

[dangel]

Wow, 2nd thread I've read lately with an iPhone 4 mentioned and as usual; people who haven't used/owned it or the Android Elite Brigade are already slamming it. I've been on this forum for quite a while though and it's obvious that with a PC-based community there's a lot of bias against anything Apple related. Personally, I would say you should get the iPhone 4 for your girlfriend - it keeps things simple despite the heavy tech and things just work. With Android, if you have a problem sometimes things Force Close, or sometimes you have to use a task manager to kill 953485 apps that have remained in the background and then your girlfriend will wonder why her battery is even worse than it should be. The App market has only grown and the development support and amount killer apps are extremely attractive.

Everyone has bias - and the above doesn't really show you to be any more free of it. Odd statements about force closing apps (iPhone apps always work?) and task killers (you don't need one on froyo - hell, you shouldn't even use one on froyo!) reinforce that. Obviously you're had a terrible time of it but I couldn't say I've had the same experience - at all! TBH if you want to point out differences you ought to talk about gaming (it's better on the iPhone) or configurability (far better on Android) or choice of handsets etc (choice period maybe) or ease of use (arguably better on the iPhone). Those are differentiators, what you've posted is tantamount to "it all goes wrong all the time" which is rubbish tbh.

Android will appeal to people on here far more - it gives you a large amount of choice in every area (launcher, keyboard, browser and even handset) so, shocker, you'll find a lot of users of them here. I know a couple of people on here have sent iPhone4s back and gone Android - such is life. If you want to provoke meaningful discussion on the pro's a con's then set an example

[usxhe190]

Wow, 2nd thread I've read lately with an iPhone 4 mentioned and as usual; people who haven't used/owned it or the Android Elite Brigade are already slamming it. I've been on this forum for quite a while though and it's obvious that with a PC-based community there's a lot of bias against anything Apple related.

You are a bit too sensitive I think to the Apple criticisms haha

Actually, if you look at this thread objectively, there is people who support and not support Apple iPhone.

[unreal]

Everyone has bias - and the above doesn't really show you to be any more free of it. Odd statements about force closing apps (iPhone apps always work?) and task killers (you don't need one on froyo - hell, you shouldn't even use one on froyo!) reinforce that. Obviously you're had a terrible time of it but I couldn't say I've had the same experience - at all! TBH if you want to point out differences you ought to talk about gaming (it's better on the iPhone) or configurability (far better on Android) or choice of handsets etc (choice period maybe) or ease of use (arguably better on the iPhone). Those are differentiators, what you've posted is tantamount to "it all goes wrong all the time" which is rubbish tbh.

Android will appeal to people on here far more - it gives you a large amount of choice in every area (launcher, keyboard, browser and even handset) so, shocker, you'll find a lot of users of them here. I know a couple of people on here have sent iPhone4s back and gone Android - such is life. If you want to provoke meaningful discussion on the pro's a con's then set an example

Haha! I pretty much acknowledged why there's a bias and I explicitly said I'm not surprised - so people were expressing their experiences and preferences so I joined in too. The gaming etc was covered by the link I supplied, with that large paragraph dedicated to apps that you must have missed. I didn't want to cover that too much though because it's well known to be one of the iOS strong points and I'm trying to actually talk about a real world scenario of this chaps girlfriends's phone use and what she'd likely appreciate more than anything else. He already said he loved the apps so whats the point in trying to talk him into it. And personally, after having several WinMo, Android, Blackberry, and now iOS devices - I can say I have a preference but not so much a bias as I do my best to look at things fairly... and theres elements of all (except WinMo, that was horrible) that I wish the companies could learn from each other.

I know everyones Android experience is different given the colossal amount of customization and tweaks etc you can do. And as mentioned I have had it for a year so I had my fair share of getting my hands dirty, from using a variety of custom launchers to loading a mass amount of custom ROM's and kernels and overclocking and even getting gritty with the terminal etc. In fact it made the phone what it really should have been, and was a big step up from the Blackberry I had the year before. But in real life usage when out and about, I just found it was sometimes (not all the time) unreliable (Stock or custom) and battery life was poor even when given generous settings to reserve some. Hearing about the battery on the Desire HD just disappointed me further - HTC have a great Sense UI ROM series going but their hardware design is still poor (especially in areas like their camera's which have been forever abysmal), but that's always been the case even to my first HTC, which was the SPV C500. But I didn't feel to mention all this as I was trying to actually talk about the post topic, but you went off on captain defense mode after reading only the first few lines it appears. The areas you mentioned above like ease of use etc are correct however, and I think that's a little more important for the average consumer.

Either way, I was trying to highlight the bias from people who are anti-Apple for whatever reason, and to just look at what matters most to the circumstance of the topic.

Also, Froyo may have better memory management but it still needs a task manager in my opinion! (Or rather, a task killer)

[dangel]

Haha! I pretty much acknowledged why there's a bias and I explicitly said I'm not surprised - so people were expressing their experiences and preferences so I joined in too. The gaming etc was covered by the link I supplied, with that large paragraph dedicated to apps that you must have missed. I didn't want to cover that too much though because it's well known to be one of the iOS strong points and I'm trying to actually talk about a real world scenario of this chaps girlfriends's phone use and what she'd likely appreciate more than anything else. He already said he loved the apps so whats the point in trying to talk him into it. And personally, after having several WinMo, Android, Blackberry, and now iOS devices - I can say I have a preference but not so much a bias as I do my best to look at things fairly... and theres elements of all (except WinMo, that was horrible) that I wish the companies could learn from each other.

You are bias (and so I am), to say your free of it is nonsensical - accept it, it's not a slight However if you go off on a rant ("Android Elite Brigade", "or sometimes you have to use a task manager to kill 953485 apps") don't expect me to think your view is particularly substantive (or accept what you post).
Equally:

but you went off on captain defense mode after reading only the first few lines it appears.

..isn't helping you either. My point isn't so much don't post an 'opinion' (that's good) but why go about it in such a provocative manner? Obviously you feel that I've flamed you in some manner, when all I've done is point out that if you set out to put people's nose out of joint then you shouldn't be surprised if that then happens. The one thing I like about Hexus is that you can have a decent debate here without someone needing 'win' or it deteriorating into a mud slinging match (more so that other forums). I'm sure you're interested in the same, right? Good. And that's what I'm defending (captain or otherwise).

As for real world use - great - and that wasn't what I was pulling you up on and it's good to hear you've used a variety of devices (like me!) in order to make up your mind. I'm definitely not claiming your view isn't balanced, just that you could convey it without shotgun statements
My wife is pestering me for an Android, my friends missus wants a Galaxy Tab (as a phone believe it or not - that literally staggered me) - the World's an interesting place! All their friends are iPhone-ites but I think things are definitely changing and I don't think it's just the techies buying all those phones thesedays.

Either way, I was trying to highlight the bias from people who are anti-Apple for whatever reason, and to just look at what matters most to the circumstance of the topic.

I'd say it's fairly relevant to a potential Android buyer to know they're not going to have a crash fest of a phone with 953485 apps that need killing all the time - wouldn't you? Personally I've no stock in what someone else chooses but misinformation does irk me somewhat (on whatever platform).

Also, Froyo may have better memory management but it still needs a task manager in my opinion! (Or rather, a task killer)

Killing tasks on Froyo has a detrimental effect on phone performance - the exception to this is rogue apps which are eating CPU and therefore battery. You don't need a task killer so much as a task watcher e.g. watchdog - and even then it's a rare occurrence you've installed something broken enough to trigger it. There's a good thread on it here for further reading. Personally I find it works rather well and I'd certainly say on balance I can't see there being a better solution out there right now. iOS and WP7 have a very similar system (from what I can see).

I've much like for Apple's iOS platform - it doesn't fit me, but without it we'd all still be using styli and pressing 'start'. Which sucked. Lots! Incidentally my first WinMo phone was an XDA, and i've still got a SPVC500 in a drawer

[muppet_hat]

You guys hijacked my thread!

ANyway, can anyone with a Desire HD comment more on the battery door issue? An image would be awesome

[muppet_hat]

SO I actually got fed up waiting and just bought the Desire Z. Great phone everything works splendidly; however, the screen is a bit loose. I've seen videos online where other Desire Z phones are not loose at all, and I'm not sure whether it is QC at HTC or a bad supplier. Either way, the top half is not swaying in anyway or any of that nonesense, of course I hope in long term use it will continue to stay like this. I hope I won't drop it to worsen the situation either. I am planning to send it to HTC care to see if they can do something about it. I will let you guys know, but for now I'll be busy getting used the new system. This is my first android phone and I'm quite happy.

I must say, the keyboard is great, but I find myself using the onboard digital screen more often as i type faster this way... therefore I kind of wish I went for the Desire HD. But considering the HD was such a big phone.... Maybe the Desire STD would have been my best bet, but I don't really like the design of it... sorry I'm really picky hahaha. One thing I LOVE about the Desire Z is the weight though... I don't find it heavy at all, because in all honesty, I like a phone with weight, also the Desire Z's steel casing is very attractive and feels great when holding it. I definately recommend this to all, but I do recommend you guys check out the new unit when buying it to make sure it doesn't have a loose hinge. My unit was the last one in stock and I didn't like the fact of knowing I'd have to wait longer to get a new phone, so I just bit the bullet >.<
I figure if I were to ever type upside down I'd just use the Touch display to do so anyway. So no worries there.

I do have two questions. How do I change the battery icon to a percentage? And also, is there a good App. Killer I can use? I heard that Advanced Task Killer is actually a bad app. because it messes up your OS in the long run or something... is there anything that is stable?

[SiM]

I do have two questions. How do I change the battery icon to a percentage? And also, is there a good App. Killer I can use? I heard that Advanced Task Killer is actually a bad app. because it messes up your OS in the long run or something... is there anything that is stable?

You need to root it before you can change the battery icon. I suggest you read up on the xda-developers forums (sorry I can't help as I don't have a desire z - if it's the same as the desire then it is very easy, install drivers and use unrevoked).

Forget about task killers. You don't need them. Android has it's own task manager should you need to kill a rogue task (I've never needed it in the past 6 months - but I tend not to install crap apps).

[muppet_hat]

HTC is going to hate me. I'm trying to return the Desire Z now... I want the Desire HD.... because I find myself never using the keyboard at all... Is the battery cover and SD card/Sim card cover that big of a problem on the Desire HD? WHY CAN'T HTC JUST MAKE A PERFECT PHONE We're paying so much already :*(

[muppet_hat]

surprise surprise, i was not able to return. But I got to say. As I was coming from the Blackberry Bold9000 qwerty which is really compact. The Qwerty on the Desire Z is growing on me, which is good, because I'm loving my 'own phone' much more now. I remember when I so wanted to return the device, it wasn't pleasant waking up to it every morning.... "oh it's you again." lol