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11/10/09
11/10/09
a Corvette engine shoved inside a Saturn. you say? #droideris
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I also prefer Sprint as a company (weird, I know), I was with them for years before switching to AT&T for the iPhone. #droideris
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All that's done is to gloss over the software ("it's all HTC") without saying anything +ve or -ve about it, and the end with "It's still Windows Mobile."
SO FREAKING WHAT? If the fact that the OS is Windows Mobile presents a problem, would it be so hard to point out what that problem is?
Don't point to the 6.5 review, for two reasons. 1) That review was criticizing 6.5 for not being as much as it could/should be at this point, not that much of inspecting what's actually there on its own merit, but more importantly 2) Don't point to that review because you say HTC covers up everything!
This review had very little to say, starts out in biased tone, and ends with the assumption that "it's Windows Mobile" explains everything. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
But let me ask this one thing John, and I'll ask for something really hard here: if you completely forget HTC Touch HD2 has WinMo running under the UI how bad the software is compared to a similar Android phone or the iPhone?
Because seriously, trolling and fanboyism apart, for someone reading this post alone, there is absolutely no real information that tells us why we should consider the software on the cellphone bad.
Being able to replace all basic functions on a OS could be viewed as "trying to hide it", but it could also be seen as the OS being highly customizable.
Lots of portable devices and computers uses highly customized Linux versions, and that's usually not because the manufacturer is trying to hide something... it's only trying to give it a different look to offer the users a fresh or more adequate UI to fit the hardware.
Now, I'm guessing WinMo 6.5 is worse on benchmark, functions, bugs or whatever to justify that bias. Can't think of nothing else. And I'm really hoping there is a better reason for this review other than pure trolling. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
How much of an improvement would you say HTC's retelling of WinMo is over the standard version on other phones? #htctouchhd2review
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Frankly, I'm not all that convinced that Android is really ready to take over in all respects anyway. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
But I guess thats because Giz writers would rather tell you it sucks over and over rather than have an actual technical discussion of the feature sets of mobile OSs. FUD over FACTS is the M.O. when it comes to these fluffy phone "reviews".
I am starting to get the picture that Giz writers don't really understand the technical differences between the mobile OSs, so its easier to leave little things like "reasons" alone, and just regurgitate the same old FUD over and over. #htctouchhd2review
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WinMo is likey the worst example of "user friendly" you could possibly list. Want proof of this? Hand a mobile user a WinMo phone and ask them to find something basic. Lets say they look to change the indicator alerts (ringtones, vibration patterns and what not). I garauntee you it will take them at least 10 time longer to find it on a WinMo phone compared to a Blackberry, iPhone, Palm Pre or even Android device.
@reciprocal: @jackburnt: @Incoherent: @smokee: All you have to do is search Windows Mobile articles on just about any tech website or even go pickup a mobile related magazine at B&N to understand. Just because you guys bought into some garbage doesn't mean that it all of a sudden isn't garbage. [gizmodo.com]
[www.businessinsider.com]
Hell, even Motorola who had basically vanished off the map has dropped support for WinMo. Do you truthfully think that the 4 or 5 of you on this blog make up the difference thats given WinMo the horrible image it has today? #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
In fact it sounds like everything went perfectly smoothly in the actual implementation but the fact that it ran Windows Mobile(which has 0 effect on the actual experience) in the background was used as a negative.
I don't care one way or the other if you don't like WinMo(I use Android myself) but at least give the reasons why it lowers the quality of the phone by stating problems experienced, areas where the UI gets killed, etc. As is, it was made to sound like the god phone that you(the author) hates for no reason whatsoever. #htctouchhd2review
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That's why. If it has little to no effect on the actual user experience then it means absolutely nothing. I'm not asking him to say why he dislikes winmo, but how and where those facets he does dislike show themselves in this phone. If they don't, then the fact that it has winmo doesn't matter at all and it's back to sounding like it does now: This phone is amazing in every way. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
This is the first time Windows Mobile has been on hardware this advanced, and HTC has (from all accounts) done a bang-up job of making sure you don't see the underlying operating system, but it seems like the author is pissed that HTC isn't going to do an official Android port, and is taking it out on the device.
I mean, isn't it a net WIN (pardon the pun) when the good things you have to say about the Sense UI include "surprisingly usable", "works surprisingly well" and "impressive", while the only concrete negative (besides vitriol about WinMo in general) about this handset in particular is that the Sense UI is "only marginally effective" at hiding WinMo.
That's not a review of the software, that's just kinda lazy. At least compare the usability of the Sense UI on this hardware to something like Android 2.0 on the Droid. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
11/09/09
The third paragraph that was added in the "Falling Out of Lust with the HD2" section addressed the bulk of my problems with the review as originally written.
Now I know WHY the Sense UI doesn't particularly cut the mustard. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
I appreciate differing opinions, and respect if a person prefers iPhone, Android, Symbian, RIM etc. Not everyone is so enamored with multi-touch. For some, the ability to have the device do what you want is more important. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
I've been selling phones for over 2 years. I have had all my fair share of OS (Black Jack 2 WinMo, iPhone, G1/Mytouch Android, and currently a Blackberry 8900).
To say any one of those phones, or their OS's are bad is ridiculous, they all have much appeal and function. And I prefer each one in a paticular setting...right now the 8900 does all that I need in a way I need it to, and if I were given a choice of getting a new 9700 or a Droid, I would get the 9700 cause the Droid fails to meet my needs.
Reviews of a phone OS should be given on what it does, not a bunch of non-specific references to the OS, and then a huge long rant containing a hidden bias towards one OS that apparently the reviewer thinks appeals to everyone... #htctouchhd2review
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And leet or "Elite" just means, really really good. #htctouchhd2review
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You never really point out any flaws, the only thing you do is explain your distate with their time management....
"they've even replaced the calendar and text messaging apps, for god's sake—you find yourself asking the same question: Why even bother?"
So is what they've done to these 2 apps good or not? I'm not too concerned with what they did to do something, just is it done?
"For HTC, why spend so much time and effort desperately—and only marginally effectively—hiding an OS when you know you can just replace it entirely?"
Um...did they do a decent job in altering it? Again, I'm pretty sure we're not concerned with them trying their hands at adding a creative touch, so long as it's effective, WHICH from some of your comments, you actually seem to like. "this whole Sense thing is surprisingly usable"
I'm gonna be a jerk, and say that you had an agenda going in before writing this, and despite what good qaulities you may encounter in your review, you already had written the last bits of your article before touching the phone....
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