I’m done with the initial obsession with this phone. Want to REALLY know if this phone is worth getting? Read on to find out!
when i first got the phone, i did an initial review on my phone. now that i’ve had MUCH more time with it, here is my full review.
pros:
-its designed very well (to me at least)
-looks damned good
-HTC only put buttons on what people need, and didnt bother to put any added “fluff”, like a camera button, a hold button, etc.
-touchFLO 3D looks VERY good
-VGA resolution (640×480) on a 2.8″ screen
-fast cpu and tons of memory (528Mhz and 288MB of RAM – verizon’s model is crippled, as usual)
-best slide-out qwerty keyboard on any phone today
-3.2MP camera with LED flash and autofocus
-microSDHC compatible up to 32GB
-GPS works nicely with google maps and windows live (didnt try any others)
-its priced pretty cheap considering all of the features that come with it, as a businessphone
-good replacement for the mogul
-comes with tons of accessories out of the box – belt holster, 1GB microSD, extra stylus, etc
-easily hacked to make the performance much better
-can be hacked to whatever your heart desires – really. sound, theme, rom, startup screen, anything.
-works on the old sprint sero plans! (thank god)
-email works with any pop/imap inbox (including bastula.org!)
-built in youtube application (which works nicely)
-speakerphone is VERY loud, which is awesome for drivers on the go
-can increase or decrease system text – good for younger and older people
-does NOT require any certain plan
-mp3 trimmer is included!
-stylus is magnetic! so you will never ever lose it
cons:
-its windows mobile
-the speed was very….very….average for out of the box performance
-when you slide out the keyboard, you cant use touchFLO 3D, instead you are presented with a 8 boxes of options…well what was the point of touchFLO 3D if i cant use it when the keyboard is out?
-you have to modify the phone yourself to make the phone better, which takes time and some understanding of windows mobile (for non-techies)
-the screen protector that comes with it just sucks
-accidentally can accept/reject calls while the phone is ringing in your pocket (which is annoying)
-they gave it extra ram and a good cpu for a reason – windows mobile is a memory hog.
-battery life is random – my phone lasts a day with regular use (some texting, some calling, wifi and bluetooth are always off), and some days when i come home, it’ll be on 2 bars…without hardly doing anything on the phone. that = random.
-you can very slightly slide around the phone when its not slid out…feels kind of cheap
-prone to scratches, and if you drop it…ouch
-camera is too slow, same with video recording
-FM radio is locked from the start
and not to mention the HORRIBLE quality control that HTC has. don’t even get me started about it…
rating: 7.5/10 out-of-box experience/everyone who uses it stock. 8/10 for me because i customized it, minus a few lagging issues (gay windows mobile) and the absolutely bogus quality control.
if you want the best windows mobile smartphone with a slide out keyboard, this is the phone for you…as long as you customize it. if you are looking for this same form factor and looks, but without the keyboard, htc makes a version called the touch diamond. honestly, i think its the best smartphone sprint has, and possibly one of the best phones sprint has ever released.
Okay sorry but i cant help it….i would also like to mention that i’ve gone through 3 (yes THREE) touch pros since this review. the first one had a huge crack on the chrome casing and the camera stopped working, the second one had its keyboard completely fail, and now this one is starting to have its screen just fail. quality control at its finest here folks…and its not like i abuse my technology either – i really do take good care of it. oh well.
I’m glad you posted this. A link to the original review within this one might be helpful too so that your readers can click back to that and see what changes you’ve experienced in the interim.