26 replies to this topic

[l3v5y]

Pocketnow have videoed some of the cool/useful features of the HD2 from the latest available ROMs...





Is anyone swayed by the new offerings?

[philly-d]

l3v5y, on Oct 28 2009, 16:05, said:

Is anyone swayed by the new offerings?

I am!!!! I'm liking TF3D more and more with these  updates and its functionality seems to be getting deeper and deeper. Now all I need is a Diamond ROM with this new TF3D on it

[andybarker]

Having that new way of selecting text is putting me off having any capacitive screen devices.  Looks like a right pain compared with using my fingernail (I presume that won't work any more?).

[l3v5y]

philly-d, on Oct 28 2009, 16:39, said:

I am!!!! I'm liking TF3D more and more with these  updates and its functionality seems to be getting deeper and deeper. Now all I need is a Diamond ROM with this new TF3D on it

That's the downside to VGA screens... HTC have moved on and are using (F)WVGA.

[l3v5y]

andybarker, on Oct 28 2009, 17:29, said:

Having that new way of selecting text is putting me off having any capacitive screen devices.  Looks like a right pain compared with using my fingernail (I presume that won't work any more?).

Fingernail won't work, though I can select text with the pad of my finger on a Diamond...

[theroadwarrior]

andybarker, on Oct 28 2009, 17:29, said:

Having that new way of selecting text is putting me off having any capacitive screen devices.  Looks like a right pain compared with using my fingernail (I presume that won't work any more?).

Me too.. i'm really excited about the HD2, apart from the capacitive screen. I'm all for touchflo making it easier to navigate with your finger but whats the point of the capacitive screen? What does it bring to the party?

Not having a stylus will mean my text entry rate will really drop off and working with the nuts and bolts of WM will be much harder :-(

[andybarker]

theroadwarrior, on Oct 28 2009, 21:36, said:

What does it bring to the party?

As far as I understand, the main thing is Multitouch capability.

[l3v5y]

theroadwarrior, on Oct 28 2009, 20:36, said:

Me too.. i'm really excited about the HD2, apart from the capacitive screen. I'm all for touchflo making it easier to navigate with your finger but whats the point of the capacitive screen? What does it bring to the party?

Not having a stylus will mean my text entry rate will really drop off and working with the nuts and bolts of WM will be much harder :-(

HTC have covered up almost all of the "nuts and bolts" as you put it... Almost all the settings pages have been covered up with HTC versions...

Capacitive makes it more sensitive in that you don't actually need to apply pressure, though I find that disconcerting because you can trigger screen actions without touching the screen. It also brings multitouch which for some bizarre reason seems all the rage even though it doesn't make a device any easier to use apart from when you have both hands completely free, or have a table.

[andybarker]

Multitouch doesn't appeal to me so far.  Not tried it, so will reserve some judgement for a while.  To be honest I am happy with the way my Diamond works with fairly standard software.  Diamond is a lovely size for a phone, but a bit small when trying to read / reply to emails & SMS.  Not sure I want to try and put a HD2 in my trouser pocket!

[l3v5y]

andybarker, on Oct 28 2009, 22:15, said:

Multitouch doesn't appeal to me so far.  Not tried it, so will reserve some judgement for a while.  To be honest I am happy with the way my Diamond works with fairly standard software.  Diamond is a lovely size for a phone, but a bit small when trying to read / reply to emails & SMS.  Not sure I want to try and put a HD2 in my trouser pocket!

Diamonds are almost small enough to be a normal phone... The HD2 etc are a little large, but I'm sure I can get used to it! I know people that carry athenas in their pockets, and HTC have done a fantastic job with reducing the size of the bezel for the screensize...

[andybarker]

Crikey - an Athena in a trouser pocket.  Obviously not the kinda of trousers I wear!

[Sonicr360]

Quote : HTC have covered up almost all of the "nuts and bolts" as you put it... Almost all the settings pages have been covered up with HTC versions...

but surely, Microsoft should be working on this themselves or a technology that is (as iPhone users state) finger friendly.

Am I right in understanding that this is just a "layer" on top of the standard WM OS?

[andybarker]

Sonicr360, on Oct 29 2009, 10:26, said:

Quote : HTC have covered up almost all of the "nuts and bolts" as you put it... Almost all the settings pages have been covered up with HTC versions...

but surely, Microsoft should be working on this themselves or a technology that is (as iPhone users state) finger friendly.

Am I right in understanding that this is just a "layer" on top of the standard WM OS?

The option for Microsoft as you suggest is one option, but some people see the current state as being better - the manufacturers and operators can create their own customisations as they see fit.  This allows them to distinguish themselves from others that use WinMo.  Is a little like the variants of Linux out there - same basic infrastructure underneath, but with individual customisations on top.
Personally I think if MS leave things pretty much alone on the UI side, and add features (such as multitouch for those that want it), and let companies such as HTC create a custom UI for the underlying features - all the better.

[Sonicr360]

But when you have a product like the OS iPhone, that as I understand, is not depending on 3rd party companies in its standard form?
But I do know that unlocking the iPhone means you can change it to your hearts content

[UnLoCkSmItH]

l3v5y, on Oct 28 2009, 22:35, said:

Diamonds are almost small enough to be a normal phone... The HD2 etc are a little large, but I'm sure I can get used to it! I know people that carry athenas in their pockets, and HTC have done a fantastic job with reducing the size of the bezel for the screensize...

I really do like my Diamond but cant use it as my main phone. God forbid anything should happen to it I would lose all data on the 4gb internal storage.  I prefer to have a memory card so if the device fails I can always restore the regular backup I make and still have all my files intact.

[l3v5y]

Sonicr360, on Oct 29 2009, 09:26, said:

Quote : HTC have covered up almost all of the "nuts and bolts" as you put it... Almost all the settings pages have been covered up with HTC versions...

but surely, Microsoft should be working on this themselves or a technology that is (as iPhone users state) finger friendly.

Am I right in understanding that this is just a "layer" on top of the standard WM OS?

Touch Flo is just a layer on top of WM. MS are working on making everything better (have you seen the recent builds?) but even if they do make it fantastic, HTC will continue to pump out different UIs to differentiate themselves (as andybarker said).

[andybarker]

l3v5y, on Oct 29 2009, 11:21, said:

Touch Flo is just a layer on top of WM. MS are working on making everything better (have you seen the recent builds?) but even if they do make it fantastic, HTC will continue to pump out different UIs to differentiate themselves (as andybarker said).

Nokia have their own hardware and software, Sony Ericsson the same, and a few others are the same.  For the manufacturers that use WinMo, they need to differentiate themselves in part with hardware, but also with making the OS "their own" in some way.  HTC have succeeded as much as they have in part down to their customisation of the UI - hence their move into Android phones - more ability to customise the OS / phone to become pretty much their own.

[l3v5y]

andybarker, on Oct 29 2009, 10:24, said:

Nokia have their own hardware and software, Sony Ericsson the same, and a few others are the same.  For the manufacturers that use WinMo, they need to differentiate themselves in part with hardware, but also with making the OS "their own" in some way.  HTC have succeeded as much as they have in part down to their customisation of the UI - hence their move into Android phones - more ability to customise the OS / phone to become pretty much their own.

Though the depth of customisation in WM is greater than in Android I think... I don't see a custom settings UI do you? And, HTC had to make things like the Hero not Google Experience devices 'cause they touched the firmware too much.

[Sonicr360]

Hi l3v5y
Thanks for the update and clarification. To be truthful, I have not seen any other ROM's as I am really in the mood of turning off WM and going for Android or iPhone.
It is a shame that HTC offers the brilliant of this from a top level, but still has the standard MS OS underneath.

But here is hoping MS get their act together and do something serious about it, before it finds itself last in the race.

[l3v5y]

Sonicr360, on Oct 29 2009, 12:30, said:

Hi l3v5y
Thanks for the update and clarification. To be truthful, I have not seen any other ROM's as I am really in the mood of turning off WM and going for Android or iPhone.
It is a shame that HTC offers the brilliant of this from a top level, but still has the standard MS OS underneath.

But here is hoping MS get their act together and do something serious about it, before it finds itself last in the race.

Thing is, the MS OS is very good for memory management, multitasking, Outlook etc, it might not have the best UI (though I really like the latest builds) but because of the way it's put together, HTC can add a UI they like and add to the features underneath.