HTC Desire Questions

Basq

Hello all,

Thinking of picking up a HTC Desire on the O2 network. Have this Christmas Comes Twice voucher for €100 off, so I'll get it for €339 on Prepay (after discount). If I'd bought it last week before it went out of stock, I would have gotten it for €40 cheaper. And since the voucher code expires this day next week, I better use it before it goes out of stock again!

But a couple of questions:

1) Is the battery really as bad as some people are making out? People complained about the battery on the iPhone, but I'm still getting 3 - 4 days out of my iPhone 2G which is over 2 years old.
2) What's the story with "rooting" current models of the Desire? Is it possible?
3) What's this I read in a few places about problems with screens, or issues? Anyone know anything about this?
4) How's the build of the HTC? Screen easily scratchable etc? Anyone recommendation some decent cases? Any other accessories worth getting?
5) Is there anything else I really need to know?

Upgrading from an iPhone 2G to it.. the iPhone 4 just wasn't feasible at the price it is!

SilverFox261

I have a Desire myself so I'll tell you about my experience with the phone. I know there are alot of different reports out there at the moment tho

1) I had a few issues with the battery life at the start, roughly only getting 10 hours, but after about a week I saw a significant improvement in it. I was leaving wifi on, screen brightness at full, polling every few minutes for widget/email updates, basically everything was on all the time. It drained the battery so i now have the the screen brightness turned down, i only turn wifi on when i need it, and have fixed the polling to only check every 2 hours and now i get 30-40 hours, depending on usage.

2) Since the Desire got updated to android 2.2 you can now move applications to your SD card without rooting. For me this was the only advantage of rooting so i have not rooted the phone. There are several guides out there with step by step instructions on rooting the desire if you wish to try out different rom's to suite your needs if you do feel rooting is necessary.

3) On bright days there can be some issues viewing the screen but that is the same with all phones imo. I bought a protector for the screen and ive had no scratches because of this and it doesn't effect the response of the phone when txting etc so i have no complaints about it.

4) The unit build is solid. You can get cheap cases on mobilefun.co.uk and i think they are a good investment. Depending on how long you will be away from a power source a charger for use in your car would be a good investment. If you plan on using alot of apps, or using it as an mps player, it might be worth investing in a larger memory card than the 2gb card that is shipped with the phone as there is very little built in memory.

partyatmygaff

basquille wrote: »

Hello all,

Thinking of picking up a HTC Desire on the O2 network. Have this Christmas Comes Twice voucher for €100 off, so I'll get it for €339 on Prepay (after discount). If I'd bought it last week before it went out of stock, I would have gotten it for €40 cheaper. And since the voucher code expires this day next week, I better use it before it goes out of stock again!

But a couple of questions:

1) Is the battery really as bad as some people are making out? People complained about the battery on the iPhone, but I'm still getting 3 - 4 days out of my iPhone 2G which is over 2 years old.

Not really. It's bad for the first week but it begins to improve and lasts for a full day on a full charge after that. You can also install apps like JuiceDefender and SetCPU (Rooted phones only) to underclock your CPU and control 3G access. With a custom kernel and the like you could manage two days easily enough. Without any modifications it makes it through a full day but only just barely.

2) What's the story with "rooting" current models of the Desire? Is it possible?

Very easy to do.

3) What's this I read in a few places about problems with screens, or issues? Anyone know anything about this?

No "issues" as such. There's an AMOLED Screen (No longer sold) and the SLCD screen. Both are equally good. The only other almost non-issue is the fact the touch screen supports two touch points only. But you've got to ask yourself, do you ever use more than two fingers on your phone?

4) How's the build of the HTC? Screen easily scratchable etc? Anyone recommendation some decent cases? Any other accessories worth getting?

It's very very very well built. It feels good in the hand and doesn't scratch easily at all. The screen doesn't get scratched easily at all. I'd recommend one of the gel cases off ebay to be honest, they're pretty good.

5) Is there anything else I really need to know?

Nothing you "need" to know but there's a whole plethora of stuff you'd might want to know (Nothing negative)

Basq

SilverFox261 wrote: »

1) I had a few issues with the battery life at the start, roughly only getting 10 hours, but after about a week I saw a significant improvement in it. I was leaving wifi on, screen brightness at full, polling every few minutes for widget/email updates, basically everything was on all the time. It drained the battery so i now have the the screen brightness turned down, i only turn wifi on when i need it, and have fixed the polling to only check every 2 hours and now i get 30-40 hours, depending on usage.

Yeah.. I always leave WiFi / Bluetooth / Brightness to a medium on the iPhone too. It's un-necessary for the most part IMO.

SilverFox261 wrote: »

2) Since the Desire got updated to android 2.2 you can now move applications to your SD card without rooting. For me this was the only advantage of rooting so i have not rooted the phone. There are several guides out there with step by step instructions on rooting the desire if you wish to try out different rom's to suite your needs if you do feel rooting is necessary.

Grand so. I'm unsure what is meant by "rooting".. this is all new to me. I assume it's similar to jailbreaking.

SilverFox261 wrote: »

3) On bright days there can be some issues viewing the screen but that is the same with all phones imo. I bought a protector for the screen and ive had no scratches because of this and it doesn't effect the response of the phone when txting etc so i have no complaints about it.

Yeah, might just pick up a screen protector or something. Got an InvisibleShield for my iPhone 2G and it's been a godsend. I was referring to something like this story regarding the screens: http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-phones/news/2010/07/26/HTC-Desire-Display-to-Move-to-SLCD-Tech/p1

SilverFox261 wrote: »

4) The unit build is solid. You can get cheap cases on mobilefun.co.uk and i think they are a good investment. Depending on how long you will be away from a power source a charger for use in your car would be a good investment. If you plan on using alot of apps, or using it as an mps player, it might be worth investing in a larger memory card than the 2gb card that is shipped with the phone as there is very little built in memory.

Thanks for that.. might do a big ol' shop on Ebay when I order it!

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Not really. It's bad for the first week but it begins to improve and lasts for a full day on a full charge after that. You can also install apps like JuiceDefender and SetCPU (Rooted phones only) to underclock your CPU and control 3G access. With a custom kernel and the like you could manage two days easily enough. Without any modifications it makes it through a full day but only just barely.

Hmm.. how long would it last on standby though?

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I'd recommend one of the gel cases off ebay to be honest, they're pretty good.

Are they just called "gel cases"? If possible, let me know a link to one. Thanks!

partyatmygaff

I'd stay away from the invisible shield when it comes to screen protectors. The material feels like rubber and makes sliding or swiping on the touchscreen a horrible experience.

Basq

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I'd stay away from the invisible shield when it comes to screen protectors. The material feels like rubber and makes sliding or swiping on the touchscreen a horrible experience.

Really? I've had one on my iPhone 2G for the past year and a half. I love it.. it simply feels like a re-inforced skin, and gives the phone grip / stops slipping out of hand easily.

Have my Desire ordered now anyways.. €339 all-in - am happy enough with that!

Oh.. and the girlfriend was buying stuff off Amazon and needed to spend £25 to qualify for free shipping - shhe was a fiver short so got her to pick me up this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amzer-Silicone-Skin-Jelly-Desire/dp/B003JBHG04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1282558536&sr=1-1 (that should do the trick).

Basq

Recieved today.. played with it for about an hour before battery died.

Gonna use my iPhone til the weekend as I need that time to get it tweaked up, and I really reckon that screen needs a screen protector or some sorts.

Any recommendations?

BeciMester

I have a full body invisibleshield on my Desire since day one and it does a great job, although it comes in 7 or so pieces, some of which small and a total pain to install properly. But it does improve grip a lot, and I never had problems with swiping/pinching/sliding my finger. Just a light touch will do, no need to press on hard.
As for durability: I've dropped mine twice so far, once from a height of like 3 feet onto concrete (but I managed to get my foot under it to break the fall a bit), the other time it fell from my lap as I was sitting on a chair, onto wooden floor. Not even a hitch.

Kenno90

basquille wrote: »

Recieved today.. played with it for about an hour before battery died.

1hr ?! knew the battery is useless for the first few charges,but 1hr is terrible

evolutionqy7

the battery isnt even fully charged out of the box...its like that with all phones

Basq

Kenno90 wrote: »

1hr ?! knew the battery is useless for the first few charges,but 1hr is terrible

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

the battery isnt even fully charged out of the box...its like that with all phones

As evolutionqy7 said, it didn't come fully charged.. and I didn't bother charging it before using it.

Starting charging it last night but didn't turn it on since.

MoodeRator

basquille wrote: »

Gonna use my iPhone til the weekend as I need that time to get it tweaked up, and I really reckon that screen needs a screen protector or some sorts.

Any recommendations?

I got meself a nice leather flip case for my Desire from China. Works a treat! (also got car charger so as to play music and use Sat nav in car)
Best phone I have ever had by far!!!

Idleater

basquille wrote: »

and I really reckon that screen needs a screen protector or some sorts.

Any recommendations?

I use iPod socks. Works fine for me.

Great for those Pink, Orange, and Blue days. The purple of course would be the "correct" match, and then there is the corporate grey.

Abelloid

basquille wrote: »

As evolutionqy7 said, it didn't come fully charged.. and I didn't bother charging it before using it.

Starting charging it last night but didn't turn it on since.

Few hours should be enough, it will just discharge and recharge itself if left any longer.

Basq

MoodeRator wrote: »

I got meself a nice leather flip case for my Desire from China. Works a treat! (also got car charger so as to play music and use Sat nav in car)
Best phone I have ever had by far!!!

Yeah. Picked up one of the gel cases from Amazon.. arrived today. Haven't seen it yet but might pick up something a little more durable.

Gonna pick up a 16GB microSD for it too.

Tempted to pick as InvisibleShield (for the front anyways).. I loved it on my iPhone.

JustinOval wrote: »

Few hours should be enough, it will just discharge and recharge itself if left any longer.

I only got a chance to plug it in for about 2 hours before bed. I didn't want to leave it charging overnight.

Abelloid

Ah, sorry - thought you left it plugged in.

basquille

basquille wrote: »

Yeah. Picked up one of the gel cases from Amazon.. arrived today. Haven't seen it yet but might pick up something a little more durable.

Gonna pick up a 16GB microSD for it too.

Tempted to pick as InvisibleShield (for the front anyways).. I loved it on my iPhone.


I only got a chance to plug it in for about 2 hours before bed. I didn't want to leave it charging overnight.

If you are buying a micro sd card try get a class 4 or higher. There are reports that these prevent jerky video recording and they don't cost much more than the class 2 cards.

Basq

ronoc wrote: »

If you are buying a micro sd card try get a class 4 or higher. There are reports that these prevent jerky video recording and they don't cost much more than the class 2 cards.

Yep, was just discussing exactly this with a workmate.

MyMemory.co.uk seem to be quite decent on prices so might give them a look.

Cianos

The battery was an issue for me when I first got the phone, but it does seem to have improved now to the point where as long as I plug it in every night I don't have to worry about it running out during the day.

Basq

With regards to the battery woes, I found opus's thread regarding the Pinky ROM quite interesting.

See here: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056002890

osnola ibax

Open Desire seems to be excellent on Battery. I turn off 3g when not using. I've use 16% and its been unplugged for 15 hours