My Touch HD niggles (especially WiFi)

[Guest robbmasters]

So got my Touch HD yesterday. It's a nice device and the screen is better than I was expecting. But I do have a few niggles with it. So I thought I'd list these - partly to make other potential purchasers aware, and partly in case anyone has any solutions. I've divided them into issues with the HD Touch HD itself, issues with Accessories, issues with TouchFLO 3D and issues with Windows Mobile 6.1, as the latter two may affect other devices.

The HD Touch HD itself

• Sometimes it seems to be completely unable to maintain a Wi-Fi connection. My HTC Wizard has no problem remaining connected to my BT Home Hub, but my Touch HD will drop the connection every few seconds. Seems that a reset fixes the issue, though...
  
• It's all to easy to end up pressing the volume control when taking photos - or doing just about anything else! No such problem with the volume slider on the HTC Wizard.
  
  • I'm grateful for the incluson of a screen protector. But it's really hard to apply accurately, let alone without getting any dust underneath. It also does a good job of highlighting greasy thumbprints! I'll be looking for another one...
    
    
    
    TouchFLO 3D
    • No option to lock the device on the Today screen. (Holding the End button down should lock the screen, but setting a password stops this from working!)
      
    • Usual Today options unavailable, so you can't have Tasks, Messages, etc. on your Today screen.
      
    • NEW: Outlook Email doesn't show up on the Mail screen (see below).
      
    • Only four email accounts shown on the Mail screen.
      
    • Can't easily reorganise (e.g. reorder) programs on the Programs screen.
      

    NEW: Although I did like the Weather tool and the clock, I had to get rid of TouchFLO in the end. Nice idea. But poor execution...

    Windows Mobile 6.1

    [*]Can only support 6 email accounts (plus Outlook).

    [*]Outlook Email doesn't appear on the Messaging "Account Picker" unless synchronised with Microsoft Exchange

    [*]No matter how many times I turn off the data connection, it keeps turning it back on (e.g. when the WiFi fails as above). This could prove to be an expensive problem...

    [*]Can no longer have folders for SMS messages. Messages also now threaded (which you may either love or hate...)

    Edit: When I started writing this, I hadn't found the (apparent) solution to my WiFi problem. If that stays fixed, then everything else is pretty insignificant.

Edited December 18, 2008 by robbmasters

[Guest gibson99]

So got my Touch HD yesterday. It's a nice device and the screen is better than I was expecting. But I do have a few niggles with it. So I thought I'd list these - partly to make other potential purchasers aware, and partly in case anyone has any solutions. I've divided them into issues with the HD Touch HD itself, issues with TouchFLO 3D and issues with Windows Mobile 6.1, as the latter two may affect other devices.

The HD Touch HD itself

• Sometimes it seems to be completely unable to maintain a Wi-Fi connection. My HTC Wizard has no problem remaining connected to my BT Home Hub, but my Touch HD will drop the connection every few seconds. Seems that a reset fixes the issue, though...
  
• It's all to easy to end up pressing the volume control when taking photos - or doing just about anything else! No such problem with the volume slider on the HTC Wizard.
  
  • No option to lock the device on the Today screen. (Holding the End button down should lock the screen, but setting a password stops this from working!)
    
  • Usual Today options unavailable, so you can't have Tasks, Messages, etc. on your Today screen.
    
  • Only four email accounts shown on the Mail screen.
    
  • Can't easily reorganise (e.g. reorder) programs on the Programs screen.
    

  I would disable TouchFLO. But I do like the Weather tool. And the clock.

  Windows Mobile 6.1

  [*]Can only support 6 email accounts (plus Outlook).

  [*]No matter how many times I turn off the data connection, it keeps turning it back on (e.g. when the WiFi fails as above). This could prove to be an expensive problem...

  [*]Can no longer have folders for SMS messages. Messages also now threaded (which you may either love or hate...)

  Edit: When I started writing this, I hadn't found the (apparent) solution to my WiFi proble. If that stays fixed, then everything else is pretty insignificant.

  Great to hear your views Robmasters….I’m going to to try this out in Orange next week. I am going to get either this, iphone (but lacks copy/paste and so much else) or the HTC Touch Pro (which I could get very cheap from O2 on my renewal). But, as I will lose the hardware keyboard of my XDA mini S (yes very old I know), I wonder if you could help out with a few questions pls?

  1) I know touch flo looks nice aesthetically.... but like you point out, I do like to have tasks etc on the today screen. How useable is the device with touch flo turned off? Does it become a pain and require the stylus too often?

  2) How quickly can you type messages/emails with your fingers? (and is it a painful process, or require very obscure pointing that becomes uncomfortable?). E.g. for me iPhone typing is a pain, but never gets physically uncomfortable typing long text (but never too accurate, for me anyway - I know others will have different experiences so fair play to that – not starting a debate :rolleyes: …)

[Guest robbmasters]

But, as I will lose the hardware keyboard of my XDA mini S (yes very old I know), I wonder if you could help out with a few questions pls?

As it happens, my last phone was an XDA mini-S too, so I had similar concerns...

How useable is the device with touch flo turned off? Does it become a pain and require the stylus too often?

Well, no more that the XDA mini-S. And I mostly worked that with my thumb.

2) How quickly can you type messages/emails with your fingers? (and is it a painful process, or require very obscure pointing that becomes uncomfortable?)

Hmm... a little early to say. I'd generally say it seems accurate enough. But it's gonna take some getting used to.

By the way, just about to add Accessories to the original post....

Robb

[Guest gibson99]

many thanks, and interesting that you have moved from the XDA mini s too....u used your thumbs? - even for typing? I just couldn't do that, hated the T9 keypad. Thaks for your replies though, can't wait to find one to try. Hopefully my orange shop will have one :rolleyes: Keep us posted on how u get on...

[Guest robbmasters]

One more (above) for Windows Mobile 6...

[Guest Monolithix]

Try Nodata to totally kill your data connection: http://www.modaco.com/New-FREE-Utility-t246171.html (or just delete the connection settings).

You raise some good points, tf3d is great, although maybe not so good for the WM "purists" who work off of homescreen plugins!

[Guest robbmasters]

Thanks for the tip. :rolleyes:

I had to get rid of TouchFLO in the end. More on that (and a few other updates) in my original post...

Shockingly I'm finding myself with a bit of iPhone envy! :) Despite the iPhone's flaws, it probably has the best OS for the job - i.e. one that can be more thumb driven. However, I'm sure that if I had bought an iPhone, I'd have Touch HD envy instead...

Edited December 18, 2008 by robbmasters

[Guest Monolithix]

Yes, looking at your original post again I think the novelty of the iPhone would wear off pretty quickly!

[Guest Avacado Baby]

With the screen protector it took all 2 of my braincells to figure out, there wasn't anything about it in the manual. There is some stuff on youtube telling you how to clean screen protectors using sticky tape to get rid of the dust.

I've been using a touch hd (from ebay ) for 2 days.

my only annoyance so far is that the top righthand corner icon on the touchflo screen (currently open applications) takes about 5 seconds to drop down after u've clicked it, so sometimes i click it twice thinking i've missed and the menu drops down and then dissapears again.... so I have to then click it again, wait 5 seconds and it appears again.

However the speed update from htc seems to have sped that up.

Edited January 9, 2009 by Avacado Baby

[Guest dr_nick]

With the screen protector it took all 2 of my braincells to figure out, there wasn't anything about it in the manual. There is some stuff on youtube telling you how to clean screen protectors using sticky tape to get rid of the dust.

I've been using a touch hd (from ebay ) for 2 days.

my only annoyance so far is that the top righthand corner icon on the touchflo screen (currently open applications) takes about 5 seconds to drop down after u've clicked it, so sometimes i click it twice thinking i've missed and the menu drops down and then dissapears again.... so I have to then click it again, wait 5 seconds and it appears again.

However the speed update from htc seems to have sped that up.

there's a speed update?! do you mean the freeze hotfix? or is there something else i should be downloading? :rolleyes:

regards

dr_nick

[Guest Avocado Baby]

there's a speed update?! do you mean the freeze hotfix? or is there something else i should be downloading? :rolleyes:

regards

dr_nick

no just the hotfix.... actually... I'm not sure if it has sped it up much I may have been premature. It is still annoyingly slow at times. That dropdown menu is too slow.

[Guest MikeWard1701]

Hi all, had my Touch HD since Dec 20 and thought I'd share my gripes and possible solutions to existing problems.

Hardware

WiFi

Not had any of the problems listed here as of yet, I'm using a Netgear DG834G (v3) router, and my wireless network is set to hidden with MAC address whitelisting enabled.

Volume Buttons

I occasionally caught the volume buttons when i was using the HD, but since I purchased a silicon case, they now only respond to a deliberate press.

Screen Potector

I too found the supplied screen protector a pain in the proverbial to apply, it took several attempts to get it on dust or bubble free, and I gave up only partly succeeding. I got one free with my silicon skin, but not sure of the quality or ease of application.

Software

TouchFLO 3D

* The inability to lock the device while password mode is enabled is really annoying, I dont want to leave my device unprotected.

* Lack of info on the home screen. No messages/tasks/weather/etc. I also can't stand the huge clock!

* Weather panel only gives you current conditions and forcasts for the next 4 days. Would like forcasts for the rest of the day so I know what to prepare for when I go out in a morning, and more info such as windspeed/pollen/humidity etc.

My ideal today screen would be one that showed me; current weather, time, date and day, appoitments and small calendar, tasks, SMS/MMS and email summaries. clicking one an element takes you to its tab.

WM 6.1

*The SMS issues robomasters mentioned. Threaded SMS has its perks, but the option to enable/disable it would be nice.

Typing

I was initally concerned about going back to a virtual keyboard after my horrid experience with the MDA Compact (HTC Magician), but I'm quite impressed with the keyboards on offer here. The compact QWERTY for me is the easiest to use, though the T9 can be a pain at times and finding certain symbols can take a while. I've found accuracy depends on how i have my thumbs/fingers, if i'm using the tips i have no problems and can even use the full QWERTY at a good speed.

Unfortunately the space bar is too small for my liking, and the full QWERTY in landscape mode is very hit-n-miss.

Does anyone know of a keyboard where the space and return keys are at the side? As I've found that I type with thumb/fingers of one hand whilst holding the device in the other.

Calls

The HD takes ages to respond to an incoming call, and only rings a 3 or 4 times before diverting it to voicemail! Is this an issue with the updated connection database I installed? Any way to remove it without a hard reset?

Thanks in advance,

Mike