Guest Paul [MVP] Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 For a long time, since the very early days of MoDaCo, I have been lobbying manufacturers / networks / anyone who would listen about how they really could benefit by giving the phones out to testers before public release to help iron out bugs. Orange kinda did with the e200, they got me one a couple of days before they hit the shelves ;-) Sure enough, a list of bugs inside a day of using the handset! I have decided that MoDaCo is going to offer a presitigious 'MoDaCo Approved' label to any future handset that meets our testing criteria. The question is, what IS the criteria? And that is where YOU come in! What do you think we should test on a new handset before giving it our coveted award? I'm thinking bluetooth performance, battery life, stability etc. etc., reply below with your ideas, and we'll draw up a list. P * When thinking of criteria, think of it in a 'phone review' sense... e.g. 'Phone doesn't die after a year of use' is NOT a useful suggestion ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kyrkesmith Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Definitely battery life and stability, as well as Bluetooth performance as you mentioned. Also overall phone performance: speed; number of egg-timer (or spinning top, whatever it's called) appearances; etc.. What about physical robustness? You could drop the phone from increasing heights until it broke, although I'm not sure the manufacturer would approve too much.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spacemonkey Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Here's a crazy idea, sound quality. Reception. Some things like Reception are hard to test, but you could almost develop a standardised set of tests that including making calls from some local known "bad" locations etc... I really like the idea of MoDaCo approved and a standard style of review/comparing to go with it would ROCK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul [MVP] Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 That's the plan SpaceMonkey! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Simon Desser Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Battery Life Call Quality Reception (I regularly go to places where an E200 can make & receive calls but MPx200 and P900 don't get a signal!) General Build Quality Camera Tests (Quality of Pictures & Videos indoors & outdoors) External Speaker - Quality of music played through the speaker as well as quality of calls using the "Speakerphone" Headphones - Sound quality, do they fit in human's ears etc :?: :P Vibrate alert - Strength of vibrate, some phones you can hardly feel vibrating :!: Practicality - Layout of buttons and controls, are things badly positioned like headphone sockets, and mini-sd cards under the battery :roll: :wink: Accessories supplied Cases, cables, cradles etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brody Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Software compatibility (Are you listening Mitac?!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drblow Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 what a top notch idea Paul, like it alot! cant really add anything except to reaffirm everything already mentioned, and to stress build quality, build quality, build quality! oh, & storage card problems/compatibility. i suppose customisation comes near the top of my list, & i would love to see reviews based on how customisable a phone is. as a seasoned modacoist i would be very happy to purchase a phone based on objective modaco users recommendations! Posted from my SmartPhone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcwarre Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 P, Even better; why not have annual awards for best phone. Something similar to best car ones (but for phones obviously :roll:). This could allow a manufacturer to claim that they have been voted top phone by the world's top smartphone forum. High praise indeed............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jmrecanize Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Dust attraction. How quickly and how much does dust gather on the screen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jon_ Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Bluetooth that works with a headset when the phone is in the pocketl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pd.ryder Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Does the smartphone do "what it says on the tin"? Benchmark testing is fine in terms of processor speeds, memory, screen res, battery life etc, but how about things like * is it fussy about memory cards - just because it states SD it might not be willing to use any SD? * grade BT performance - is file transfer included like every other phone on the market? Is the power of BT transmissions measurable / comparable with others? * do bundled apps actually do what they profess they'll do - or are they a bit useless really? * scratch resistance of screen - it's about time manufacturers started using a bit of hi-grade poly at least, never mind crystal. My Palm never suffered like any of my smartphones have. * accessability of ports, sockets and side-of-phone buttons (esp if used with a case) and, generally, how does the device work in the real world on a day-to-day basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beersoft Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 the things i would look for are * speed of use after a week without rebooting it - does it slow down to a crawl over time, can i feel safe being away from my pc without the fear of it going horribly wrong? * the long weekend test - can it last a long weekend of calls/internet/camera fun/games etc without a charge? * control layout and button usage - the buttons on the e200 are great and the mpx200 ones give me cram in my hand when texting, how easy are the buttons to use when you have sausage fingers like me? * wife approval factor - we know how great the phone is, will it be easy to explain the virtues of the handset to the better half in 60 seconds or less before she drags me out of the phone shop? * wow factor - what cool things does smartphone XYZ do that smartphone ABC doesn't? and are the wow factor things useful? i have more ideas but they are silly :P later Owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest refnulf Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 will price be some sort of factor? we could always use that as well, like "best value for money" and "economical buy" or "waste of euros" or something. I mean, doesn't really have anything to do with its hardware or software. But I think it could be a criteria. I mean, who's gonna pay 900 euros for a piece of crap smartphone ey? Also, maybe some sort of radiation reading. Like how much of radiation this phone emits, etc. Also Paul, we're gonna need a serious chart on the phone comparisons. Once they're all released I mean. Like they do hardware in the Chip computer magazines (with the price factor tags) and modaco can choose the best phone, or a few that it recommends. Or suggest those that work differently based on user needs, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul [MVP] Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 All great points, i'll start compiling a list and post it in the top post... P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Crispy Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 May I be the first to mention the app lock ... Having that enabled should count as a huge minus... Although it serves a purpose it's my impresion (and probably the one of most people here), that it's nothing more than a major pain the a**. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sgannon Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Support / Training - When you hit a problem, do support actually know how the phone works? I've spent many an hour explaining to Orange Trainers what a Smartphone is and that the problem is with the phone not the user. And bugfixes / patches - if a problem in the software is acknowledged, will a fix be released in a timely manner? For example, if Orange released a rom that knackered the SD card, would they release an updated rom asap or wait for I-Mate to fix it for them? :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul [MVP] Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 That info is kinda hard to find out and not really phone specific... P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drblow Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Support would be pretty hard to quantify, but surely some kind of previous company history for updates would be possible & useful to the end user though. It would also be intersting to see the comparisons between manufacturers/operators about the quantity/reliablility of their firmware updates. TBH I've no idea how many updates have been released for any other phones but mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickcornaglia Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Asthetics: Physical requirements are difficult to measure. It all depends on what floats each individuals respective boat. I personally may think the VOX for example, is ugly as hell, but others may like it. Smaller may not always be better in the case that buttons may be smaller and harder to use as well. So a better positive criteria may be less-bulk for the buck, size compared to features. Memory: A decent amont of onboard memory. This should be compared to the price of the phone as providers may opt for a cheaper price rather than extra memory. Speed: A must for any phone these days. Slow phones are not fun to use. This should include basic navigation, program startup (including camera, etc). Add-On Programs: The quantity and quality of proprietary apps provided by the Phone Provider. Features: Another item that should be compared to the price...not just the availability of different features. For example, a phone may be geared toward the business segment and not include a camera. Though I dont understand this nor would I want a phone without even a basic camera, you can't take away points for something that was intentional for a specific purpose. Camera: The availability of a camera and the quality of the pics. Possibly even the software used for this purpose as well and it's features. Bluetooth: Not everyone uses Bluetooth. The US is still unsure if it even needs it. So availability of this feature on the phone should be of value but also the quality of the implementation if it is available. SD or MiniSD: Type of external memory and the quality of it function are important. I personally prefer SD over MiniSD as I can transfer it to multiple devices, but who knows what tomorrow may bring. Maybe there will be a MiniSD to SD converter. Boxed Extras: I find it really cool when I open the box and there is a ton of little extras that show that show the provider really cares about the consumer, or at least put some thought into the packaging and it's contents. Extra batteries, Cradles/Sync Cables, Lanyards, SD Memory, Cases/Holsters. AC Adapters with different country attachments. The quality of these items is very important to me. (I have not been impressed with anyone other than Mitac yet!). Documentation: Manuals are important. On Disk or Paper makes no difference to me...as long as they detail all specifics of the phone without leaving anything out. Optional Hardware Availability: The availability of after-market attachments is equally important as well. Motorola did a nice job of providing cases, headset, battery options on their site right at the MPx200's launch. Optional keyboards, carkits, etc are a plus as well. Speaking of which...miniUSB type ports is a plus. Usability: Buttons/Directional pads etc, should be fully functional and easy to use. The screen should be bright and clear in daylight as well. Extras: Additional, innovative features (software and hardware) always put new phones over the top. Obvious: Battery, Sound Quality, Durability. In the end, new phones SHOULD always be better than previous models. though I hated the i600 as compared even to the original SPV. Good phones will always stick out as will the crappy one's. Has there really been a phone that you would recommend anyone NOT buy? Other than the i600, I cant think of one. With all said above....The standard of a great phone will constantly change. I would think it would be easier to rank all available phones in order of best to worst, with their individual +'s and -'s, rather than rank individual phones that may be meant for different segments of the market. After all, I give my old Nokia 6500 Series a 10 out of 10 if my criteria were just to make and receive calls. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner [MVP] Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Have to disaggree with App lock, that's a security measure with Orange, so that's a networks choice rather than a phone design. Agree wi Simon about layout but to add to that the general feel ie the quality of the components used so things like the MPX200 sturdy metal build compaired to the E200 with a very plasticy feel. Finally there should be a selection of software to test by with ones that are known to be a pain to install to the general everyday apps like media player and depending on aplock BetaPlayer, and not forgetting games like eclipse (to keep mid happy :P) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maverick Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Not related to the phone itself.. But if the handset is available from more than one network provider .. that would be a huge Plus for me :P .. We'll probably have updates and bug fixes (Lets face it.. however good the phone maybe.. it'll still have bugs) coming out faster, becoz of competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest midnight Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 ash, we are developing a benchmark app to test the graphical power of the phones, should test any additional 2d/3d multimedia processors :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nvkid909 Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 hate to say this but nokia & other manufacturers have better phones when it comes to messaging (better t9 & email client could be better thought out on htc phones), build quality can be improved especially on htc phones. the biggest improvements for me though would surely come from the operators themselves, they should stop thinking of smartphone as like most other phones (throwaway items), not charge us the earth on gprs ie make you wade through pages & pages (chargeable!) as you navigate to something simple, say, on orange world (all operators do this) & also generally improve gprs coverage especially at/towards weekends. at the moment i have dubbed my phone the "wait til you get home phone". i'd also like to point out that user behaviour is very telling & a prospective buyer could be [on a bus or tube?] watching a smartphone user keep having to take his/her battery off repeatedly & getting more frustrated with the thing!! not great advertising i must say! the smartphone platform has a golden future i just wander how many 'prototypes' there will be before we get a smartphone that works 'as it should'!?! :roll: :P more competition i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest akarno Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 ash, we are developing a benchmark app to test the graphical power of the phones, should test any additional 2d/3d multimedia processors :P Some years ago, one of the main benchmarksfor PCs was its FPS on Doom. As we have a Doom port, maybe a FPS figure for Doom would be a good test. I would also like to suggest a game playability, joystick, how many ways (4 or 8) and usability, e.g. on C500. Call sound quality is also very important. Personally I would like to know interface options, USB, USB2 RS232 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peekie Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 the one thing the smartphone suffers sadly in is the start up time , this type of phone is no good to anyone who is being say chased by a mugger ect you can switch on say a nokia and call the police for help within a few seconds an average spv more than a minute , it would be good to see a fast startup ( the ppc phone is 80% quicker than the spv which falls too far behind) and also under normal useage a pain if your phone is switched off , the start up is like orange updates too long in waiting :P :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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