Develop Bugs

[COMP]Google N1 vs HTC Desire

So, what do you think about this battle?) Who'll win?
The only things that I don't like in N1 are: display with strange colour rendition, camera which is pink maniak (hey, like pink panther) and silent ring.
Will these thing be removed in HTC Desire?
Or maybe it's better to wait for Samsung Wave (super AMOLED display, but strange OS)

Honestly the Desire imo, fm radio, wm playback and ram/rom are just a few of the things that make it ahead of the N1 for me.

For me, the N1 is clearly the better Phone with the Noice Cancellation and way faster Software/Firmware-Support from Google.
I will never again use a Phone with Sense because of the lazy HTC-Support.
I believe the Community-Support will be much better for the N1, just look whats done so far. It was a nice Idea from Google to gave the N1 to many Android-Software-Developres for free.
And my personal Opinion: I couldnt believe my eyes when i saw a picture from the Desire at MWC. It looks much cheaper in real life than on the leaked Promo-Shots from last year. For me, the N1 looks better.

Currently have a N1, but "broke" it (still working, apart from few sensors),
with the insurance money, I will buy a Desire, since it will be available here.
No contenst unless theyll start also selling N1 straight to Finland.
HW buttons are better, going to miss notification led thou. And will cry if fastboot unlock is disabled.

i prefer Desire,because i don't like N1's track-ball....

Desire ROM on Nexus hardware
Get the best of both the worlds

It's not a case of which one is better, the desire will sell more purely because it's avaliable in store and it's avaliable on all 5 UK Networks.
People can walk into a store not knowing who HTC are and walk out with a Desire, for the Nexus you have to be specifically wanting the Nexus and then go online and pay a lot of money to get one shipped over.

Same screen as nexus?
Wonder if it will have the same screen as nexus ... if so that will suck.
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/02/the-nexus-ones-dirty-display-secret/

Is it common for people to remove the sense UI from android phones and run a more stock style android interface? Is this easily done with a phone like the Desire in the near future? Im on WinMo now with my Raph/Fuze and just tired of dealing with the HTC interface, hate windows too. Been using the android port for the last few months and love it. Im just stuck trying to decide between getting a nexus or the Desire whenever it will be available in the states. Plus i dont want the Sense UI, thats my main concern with the Desire.

mbomberz1 said:
Is it common for people to remove the sense UI from android phones and run a more stock style android interface? Is this easily done with a phone like the Desire in the near future? Im on WinMo now with my Raph/Fuze and just tired of dealing with the HTC interface, hate windows too. Been using the android port for the last few months and love it. Im just stuck trying to decide between getting a nexus or the Desire whenever it will be available in the states. Plus i dont want the Sense UI, thats my main concern with the Desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your reasons for not wanting Sense UI?

I'm thinking the desire may be better quality build (minus the dust prob and hardware buttons which some may view as a plus or minus, I having lived with capacitive buttons for a year, despise them). Although I would much prefer the option to have either sense or the standard android, and as I'm not familiar with android and their homescreens, is this possible on a stock desire rom?
From what I can tell, sense is mostly just a theme along with widgets, so change the theme and then don't use the widgets right?

It's 99% Likely you'll be able to flash stock 2.1 android... A Nexus one rom, providing you root

brummiesteven said:
It's 99% Likely you'll be able to flash stock 2.1 android... A Nexus one rom, providing you root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, not sure i'd want to root, already been down that path with my blackstone. hmmmm.......

OnlinePredator said:
Yea, not sure i'd want to root, already been down that path with my blackstone. hmmmm.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically you should just be able to install Launcher2.apk and switch between Sense home and Stock Android Home. Although you'd still have all the Sense apps ie contacts etc but you'd be able to replace these too.

brummiesteven said:
What are your reasons for not wanting Sense UI?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i have not actually used Sense, just some of the Roms on my Fuze that try to mimic it. It might just be the Windows Mobile underlying that makes me hate the HTC skin, im just annoyed with it all. Using the stock android on my phone, even with the odd glitches here and there due to the early port, leaves me feeling much more free and happier with my phone.

I'm thinking nexus, purely as I don't want to root my device (hehehe root my device.....)
Although I do prefer the optical trackpad and the hardware buttons.......grrr hard decisions...

For me, it will come down to which one I can get AT&T 3G on. The phones are almost identical, and I will surely root/flash it, so the stock ROM won't matter. I do think the Nexus looks better, and will probably get better support from Google.

Motoroi is looking better than both at the moment though......except of course looks lol. But with hdmi out, 720p recording and 8mp camera with xenon flash.....v.nice! Wonder if they seriously think a 550mhz chip will suffice though?

htc Desire^^ because I dont like the trackball, and I LOVE the Sense UI

OnlinePredator said:
Motoroi is looking better than both at the moment though......except of course looks lol. But with hdmi out, 720p recording and 8mp camera with xenon flash.....v.nice! Wonder if they seriously think a 550mhz chip will suffice though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just looked up the Motoroi for the 1st time... looks kinda pathetic next to the Desire and Nexus..
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacomparer&id1=2067&id2=2251&id3=2218

desire or xperia x10 or samsung galaxy S?

I`m a bit confused right now ... i really loved the HTC evo 4G but since i live in India ... i cant get my hands on that...
The only good phones i am left with are desire , xperia x10 or samsung galaxy
Pls let me know which one should i go for
And i wanted to know how are the games in desire .. are they even comparable to iphone games??... and can it be jailbreaked like the iphone????

heres a youtube vid of nova on the desire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vn2DuPeE-E

Avoid the Xperia X10, mainly due to the terrible terrible battery life and the fact it's still running Android 1.6, as well has having much lower performance than the Desire and Nexus One which use almost identical internals.
As for 'jailbreaking', in Android circles the equivalent is known as 'rooting' to enable you to install all the awesome custom firmwares available on this forum to enable new features, speed up your device or even get the latest versions of Android before they're even released.
Games-wise, there is a decent selection, but truthfully the iPhone is the king of mobile gaming. I haven't found this to be a problem however, as I realised after owning an iPod Touch before my android phone that with most games I'll play them for a few minutes when I download them and then never really touch them again. I use music, video, email, social networking and general internet browsing far more.
As for Desire vs Galaxy S...kind of hard to choose.
Galaxy S Pros and Cons:
+ Large, amazing Super AMOLED screen
+ Most powerful Android device out, especially it's GPU (for 3D games)
+ DivX video support
+ Video-out if you want to connect it to a screen
+ Reportedly great sound quality for headphones
+ Battery life better than most other high-end Android phones
- The phone itself looks like a cheap iPhone ripoff (why Samsung why?!)
- Samsung use their 'TouchWiz' interface on top of Android which looks kind of ugly and adds little
- Samsung don't have a good track record with updates...they've confirmed Froyo but no word on whether it'll ever get anything above that
- Reportedly all custom roms will need to be based off Samsung's official roms, so won't have as large a variety as HTC phones
- Apparently many users have had GPS problems
HTC Desire Pros and Cons:
+ Huge variety of custom roms
+ Similarity with Nexus One means since Nexus One gets updates first, most can be quickly ported to Desire
+ HTC Sense interface on top of Android looks great and improves usability (especially the widgets)
+ HTC's default apps for mail, weather, etc are extremely well designed
+ Will most likely be able to run Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) ported from the Nexus One once it's released
+ Very good build quality and nicer-looking hardware
- Battery life not as good
- Smaller screen that's regular AMOLED rather than Samsung's new variety
- Not as powerful as Galaxy S
Hope that helps! I'm currently in the middle of deciding between the Desire and Galaxy S myself, so done a fair bit of research and tried both out.

AXIS of Reality said:
- Not as powerful as Galaxy S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as you can see my quadrant score says diffrent

That would be because you're running Froyo, which the Galaxy S has been confirmed to be receiving later this year. =P
The more apt comparison is lower on that graph showing the 2.1 Desire and Nexus One far lower than the 2.1 Galaxy S.

well thanks for that .. i am leaning towards htc desire more now ... just to confirm are there any better andriod phones in the market which are gsm and available outside US ??

AndroHero said:
as you can see my quadrant score says diffrent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which battery meter are you using?

vinayendra: since you mentioned only games in your post, my advice to you is to avoid android platform and go with Iphone if games are your priority...
If you still need to choose between these 3 phones, Galaxy would be your choice, cause it's better GPU will be advantage with games

I cant speak for the galaxy S but having used both desire and the xperia the desire wins hands down. The xperia is really laggy and the old version of android is a deal breaker. Once sony pull their fingers out and update the xperia it might be a different story but I dont think we will see that for a few more months yet
the only advantage the xperia has is the large internal apps storage, you dont need to root it if your wanting loads of apps unlike the desire

AndroHero said:
heres a youtube vid of nova on the desire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vn2DuPeE-E
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
id love to know how to get that game running on my desire, I had it for my palm pre and loved it but the desire just gives me a black screen then it closes

djoni1980 said:
vinayendra: since you mentioned only games in your post, my advice to you is to avoid android platform and go with Iphone if games are your priority...
If you still need to choose between these 3 phones, Galaxy would be your choice, cause it's better GPU will be advantage with games
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Games or not my priority .. i already have a ipod touch ... for me the main things are cool apps maybe even GPS , email and very good user interface ... i have a htc 3G touch ... it really sucks ...after having that i had decided not to go for HTC again ... But i cant buy iphone 4 as it takes a year to come to my country ... and i heard andriod phones are awesome ... so going back to HTC
So anyone owns a desire .. plz tell the pros and cons of desire which u felt while using

Take the desire you wont regret it.and someone already mentiond pros & cons on page 1.
You only have to choose
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

AXIS of Reality said:
That would be because you're running Froyo, which the Galaxy S has been confirmed to be receiving later this year. =P
The more apt comparison is lower on that graph showing the 2.1 Desire and Nexus One far lower than the 2.1 Galaxy S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you not read? it clearly says samsung galaxy s 2.2 on the benchmark

pms said:
Which battery meter are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the one that comes with the expresso theme for 2.2 sence roms

AndroHero said:
can you not read? it clearly says samsung galaxy s 2.2 on the benchmark
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, actually it says <2.2, which is 2.1

djoni1980 said:
LOL, actually it says <2.2, which is 2.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh yeah so it does lol

If you have access to those phones in India go and try them out in person because you won't have a clue on what everyone is going on about except for prior experience on your old Touch.
An Android phone is perfect if you live your online life through Google, if you don't I suggest you move.
An iPhone is known for simplicity and just working until you somehow manage to get yourself into the zoom feature and you're screwed unless you know the zoom out function. These high end phones are true powerhouses in pocket computing and are for more than showing off to your mates that you have a cool phone. If that's all you're going to do, you deserve an iPhone. If you're rolling up your sleeves and learning how to individualise yourself from every other Android user out there then you will quickly learn about live wallpapers, widgets, shortcuts and button combinations. Go further than that and its roms, themes, radios, adb commands so on and so forth.
Know what you want and shop according to it. One of these phones will tick most if not all of your needs and wants. Or something in the near future will. Between the 2 phones, out of the box you are looking at a difference of interface more than anything else. Really suggest you go try them out.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Jabbafat23 said:
If you have access to those phones in India go and try them out in person because you won't have a clue on what everyone is going on about except for prior experience on your old Touch.
An Android phone is perfect if you live your online life through Google, if you don't I suggest you move.
An iPhone is known for simplicity and just working until you somehow manage to get yourself into the zoom feature and you're screwed unless you know the zoom out function. These high end phones are true powerhouses in pocket computing and are for more than showing off to your mates that you have a cool phone. If that's all you're going to do, you deserve an iPhone. If you're rolling up your sleeves and learning how to individualise yourself from every other Android user out there then you will quickly learn about live wallpapers, widgets, shortcuts and button combinations. Go further than that and its roms, themes, radios, adb commands so on and so forth.
Know what you want and shop according to it. One of these phones will tick most if not all of your needs and wants. Or something in the near future will. Between the 2 phones, out of the box you are looking at a difference of interface more than anything else. Really suggest you go try them out.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd mostly agree with that.
Android phones really are 'enthusiast' phones, in the sense that you get out of them what you put in. For example, customising it to work exactly how you want and look how you want it to look.
The iPhone is made as a very controlled system, so you have only the absolute minimum freedom (ie: change your wallpaper or order of icons). This is ideal for many people who want something that just 'works' and has been tuned to be an intuitive experience for the majority of people.
Android is based around making your phone uniquely yours, such as through the use of the homescreens to fill with whatever you want (widgets, controls, shortcuts, folders, etc). What this means is it requires more time and attention than an iPhone, but the end result is a phone and way of working that is of your own design.
Think of it like Lego:
- the iPhone is where you follow the instructions and get what is shown in the picture on the box (which can annoy people who want to do their own thing).
- Android is where you are given a pile of lego bricks to build whatever you want, so it's far more personalised even if it's not as polished as the iPhone (which can confuse or put of people who prefer a guiding hand and it to be done for them)
I'm happy to sacrifice some polish in the interface for the chance to really make my phone mine, but there are many who feel the other way. That's why it's great we have the oppurtunity to choose between Android and iOS (and soon Windows Phone 7, which seems like a halfway point between the two).

thanks for all that ... Now i am convinced to go for a desire which i will buy sometime this week
i have a small doubt ( a n00b one) .. whats the use of "rooting" and installing ROM`s???.. is it the same as "jailbreaking" in iphone where i can install paid apps and games for free and play with my looks ?? ... or is there anyother use??

i have HTC Desire which i bough from a friend in England, (i live in Seattle) and absolutely love it. My co-worker has Tmobile Samsung Vibrant. Ill give my impressions and quick pros and cons, i may sound little bias but here it is.
Samsung Galaxy Pros
Large SuperAMOLED screen, true 800x480 res, multitouch (Which, while is brighter than the Desire, not that much better, almost cant tell the difference.)
Better battery life, Galaxy also comes with 1500 mAh battery whereas Desire come with 1400 mAh ( again only one day of test with moderate use)
Better GPU
16 Gb of internal storage (which is a huge plus)
720p @30 frames video capture (which also is possible on the Desire with a custom ROM)
Cons
Built quality is extremely cheap, back is shiny plastic which is prone to scratches
Has ugly iphone 3GS style bezel around the screen
No camera flash (this one is a huge let down by Samsung which is beyond any comprehension)
Ugly UI which is a blatant iOS rip off (this one may be strictly preferential depending if you like iOS look or not)
Samsungs proven lack of support track record
Not clear whether gonna have large dev support on XDA
External speaker is horrible, tiny sound (Desire is the same)
That is all i can think of at the moment
Desire Cons
Uses old Clear pad 2000 touch panel which lacks true multitouch support or supports it in a broken way (you can google Nexus one touch screen problems, there is 70 pages plus thread about it)
Uses Cheap Pentile pixel arrangement, which some argue is better for media but horrible if ou spend most of the time reading text on your device. ( you can google Pentile on Nexus One, Anandtech.com has very informative article about this)
Eternal speaker is horrible, sound is tiny and quite
video capture is crap
When using on low brightness, screen has pink hue
Battery life is mediocre
Pros
Built quality is way better than Galaxy, also looks sophisticated compared to Galaxy
Camera flash
Huge support from XDA developers since it is almost identical to Nexus One
Runs Sense, although i equally hate Sense, it is a lot better that TouchWiz
Has hardware buttons (this one is a deal breaker for me as Galaxy touch sensitive buttons are unresponsive at times and generally suck)
AMOLED is almost as good as Galaxy's ( aside from cheap ass touch panel that HTC used on Desire and Nexus One, why HTC why)
That is all i can think of at the moment. I am eligible for an upgrade with Tmobile, but i think ill keep the Desire. Just better phone aside from crappy screen. Hope this helps

Desire or Nexus One

Hi,
I currently own a Hero and am thinking of upgrading to either a Desire or a Nexus One. They run about the same price for me if the Nexus One is a slightly used (Ebay).
The biggest problem I had with the Hero is that it takes HTC FOREVER to update the OS. With the Nexus One, the OS is updated fairly regularly.
Given that the Desire is a HTC phone, which of the two would you suggest ?
Thanks
J

The phones are near identical in terms of hardware except the Nexus has a second mic for noise cancelisation (not really an issue on the Desire) and has a trackball instead of an optical trackpad and the Nexus has touch buttons instead of real buttons.
I personally prefer HTC Sense UI but some prefer stock Android. It all depends on your needs. You are right that Google release the updates to the Nexus One sooner than other phones get it, but that's because it doesn't have a skin or other cool integrations with social networks etc.
I was in the same position when I was looking at a new phone and ultimately went for the Desire for Sense and physical buttons -- it's just personal preference

quarq said:
The biggest problem I had with the Hero is that it takes HTC FOREVER to update the OS. With the Nexus One, the OS is updated fairly regularly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair to HTC on this one, they were much, much quicker with the Froyo update for the Desire. Nexus One got the "official" Froyo update (note, I'm not talking about the early press release) around the beginning of July, and Desire got it beginning of August.
That being said, I don't expect the Desire to ever get a Gingerbread release, but if the specs of the Desire HD (HTC Ace) are correct, given the similarity to the Desire, it's possible we could still get another update.
Regards,
Dave

I would go for the Desire just for sense. I really love this interface. I've used roms with stock android -no sense- and I just can't get used to it. If you're coming from the hero, I would get the Desire.
On the other hand, Nexus One will be the first to get updates.

Obviously people in the Desire forums will says Desire
As said, it's personal preference. I like the hardware buttons and trackpad of the Desire. Nexus One will get updates sooner, but remember that these devices are not flagships for long anymore. In the US you already have better devices, and the Desire HD is coming up. I don't think we will be getting any more official updates. We might have a chance at getting gingerbread, but probably later than the better devices that will be on the market by then.
So in short: I wouldn't go for the Nexus just because of one update you will maybe get a month before the Desire, but maybe not get at all.

If it was me, I would base my decision on the following differences, and decide which things are most important to me.
Cost
Sense
Hardware Buttons
Track Pad vs Track Ball
Updates
Custom ROMS
Cost, Desire is cheaper - Desire wins
Sense, I love it - Desire wins.
Hardware buttons, I prefer buttons - Desire wins.
Track Pad vs Track Ball, I use a Blackberry, and regularly have to replace the track ball. The optical trackpad on the Desire made me want the Desire over the N1. As it turns out however, I hardly use the Desire's track pad, and when I do, I wish it was a track ball - Nexus One wins.
Updates, any OTA update for Android will hit the N1 first, whether it will get Gingerbread is unknown, but if it does, it will get it before the Desire, and I'm sure that if the N1 can run it, then so can the Desire. If the N1 cannot run 3.0, the neither will the Desire. Result - If the N1 runs 3.0, then it's the N1, if not, it's a draw.
Custom ROMs, both phones are easily modded with custom ROMs, so you can have Sense on an N1, and vanilla Android on a Desire - draw.
That was my decision process, you can make your own mind up!

itsfozzy said:
If it was me, I would base my decision on the following differences, and decide which things are most important to me.
Cost
Sense
Hardware Buttons
Track Pad vs Track Ball
Updates
Custom ROMS
Cost, Desire is cheaper - Desire wins
Sense, I love it - Desire wins.
Hardware buttons, I prefer buttons - Desire wins.
Track Pad vs Track Ball, I use a Blackberry, and regularly have to replace the track ball. The optical trackpad on the Desire made me want the Desire over the N1. As it turns out however, I hardly use the Desire's track pad, and when I do, I wish it was a track ball - Nexus One wins.
Updates, any OTA update for Android will hit the N1 first, whether it will get Gingerbread is unknown, but if it does, it will get it before the Desire, and I'm sure that if the N1 can run it, then so can the Desire. If the N1 cannot run 3.0, the neither will the Desire. Result - If the N1 runs 3.0, then it's the N1, if not, it's a draw.
Custom ROMs, both phones are easily modded with custom ROMs, so you can have Sense on an N1, and vanilla Android on a Desire - draw.
That was my decision process, you can make your own mind up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't use your trackpad?! I use mine all the time when typing. Either to move the cursor or select the right word suggestion as it's right below the keyboard it's perfect.

steve228uk said:
You don't use your trackpad?! I use mine all the time when typing. Either to move the cursor or select the right word suggestion as it's right below the keyboard it's perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't make mistakes when i'm typing , but if I did, I would prefer a track ball (and a proper Blackberry keyboard) any day.
It's because I can type one-handed with a Blackberry, that I turned down the offer of an Android phone for my job. I also did not want two Desires.

itsfozzy said:
I don't make mistakes when i'm typing , but if I did, I would prefer a track ball (and a proper Blackberry keyboard) any day.
It's because I can type one-handed with a Blackberry, that I turned down the offer of an Android phone for my job. I also did not want two Desires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After playing with my sister's Blackberry I couldn't handle one as my main phone. I guess if I had two it'd be okay but that software is just appalling.

steve228uk said:
After playing with my sister's Blackberry I couldn't handle one as my main phone. I guess if I had two it'd be okay but that software is just appalling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Blackberry for email, Desire/Android for everything else.

Did you know the nexus one is now discontinued, and Google have closed the nexus one store.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Nexus
My vote is for Nexus and i have no doubt about it.
N1 gets any updates far before any other phone, Gingerbread is almost 100% for it
N1 is the official google's developers phone, and most of the developers release their applications for N1 before any other phone,
stock is much faster than sense and any other UIs.
there is absolutely no custom modifications in Sense that can't be flashed into N1. and desire has nothing exclusive for itself.
the best custom ROM out there is cyanogenmod which is released for N1 at first and after that for other phones.
N1 has a modern design (body, battery cover, excellent trackball colors and notifications , etc)
N1 has microphone for noise cancellation.
N1 has car dock and desktop dock support.
finally N1 is being discontinued at google store and this is another advantage for it, i personally do not like my phone to be in hands of many people. also this situation has an effect in rising the price of N1 and i like this.

Alimud said:
Did you know the nexus one is now discontinued, and Google have closed the nexus one store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but this is rubbish!
Google have closed *their* online store, but the Nexus One is still being produced and is still available from other channels! See here for details - it's also available direct from carriers, such as Vodafone in the UK.
Regards,
Dave

Thanks for all the replies.. Getting the Nexus One for AT&T bands generally requires going through EBay and the like..
I am kicking myself for not having got it when I had the chance. I'll look into the Desire.
J

quarq said:
Hi,
I currently own a Hero and am thinking of upgrading to either a Desire or a Nexus One. They run about the same price for me if the Nexus One is a slightly used (Ebay).
The biggest problem I had with the Hero is that it takes HTC FOREVER to update the OS. With the Nexus One, the OS is updated fairly regularly.
Given that the Desire is a HTC phone, which of the two would you suggest ?
Thanks
J
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'd hold out for a few months and look to get the next evolution of handsets in Q4

Mr_Maz said:
i'd hold out for a few months and look to get the next evolution of handsets in Q4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this. Looks like the Desire HD is set for unveiling on the 15th September.

Mr_Maz said:
i'd hold out for a few months and look to get the next evolution of handsets in Q4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you keep holding out for the phone on the horizon you will never get a phone. The Desire HD will will be an Android version of the HD2. I find the current Desire to be a perfect size and functionality is great, I just hope they tweak the camera and camcorder for better performance.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Jabbafat23 said:
If you keep holding out for the phone on the horizon you will never get a phone. The Desire HD will will be an Android version of the HD2. I find the current Desire to be a perfect size and functionality is great, I just hope they tweak the camera and camcorder for better performance.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. Besides, the prices of the current phones reflect their age.
It doesn't really matter if you get N1 or Desire. They are both fine phones and perform almost identical. I personally prefer Sens UI, so I went for Desire.
I'll also give one plus for HTC Support and the physical buttons on Desire.

I had this exact same debate when I got my desire. The Nexus one was £5 a month more expensive (£120 over the 2 year contract) for pretty much the same phone, in a different casing.
I preferred the hardware buttons and overall feel of the Desire. I'm not a massive fan of capacitive buttons.
The optical trackpad on the Desire is a disappointment and doesn't work very well. I previously owned an HTC Magic which had a trackball, that was excellent and I used it all the time. So Nexus definitely wins on that one (plus the N1 trackball glows in different colours, which is a win).
I think I made the right decision though. The Desire has slightly more RAM (probably because of Sense UI) which is a plus, don't worry about updates for the Desire, we always have things ported from the N1 forum days after it appears on the N1. If you are happy to root then there are tons of roms to choose from - Sense or Stock Android.
Either would be a good upgrade from the Hero. In your position I would get the Desire or wait a few weeks longer and get the Desire HD.

Jabbafat23 said:
If you keep holding out for the phone on the horizon you will never get a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but there's generally a point in the lifetime of any phone beyond which you may just as well wait for the next generation.
IMHO, if the Desire HD/ACE is going to be launched mid-September, with availability soon thereafter, there's little to be lost in waiting for it. Even if you don't buy one, it will likely occupy the same price point as the Desire currently does, meaning the Desire should get cheaper.
Regards,
Dave

[Q] Opinions on the Desire

Hey guys, I'm looking forward on moving to a phone with a bigger screen and the Desire (Telus version aka a8182 since the 3G is compatible with the Argentinian band) is the best I can afford ATM.
I would like to know your opinions on the phone and the new SLCD screens that replaced the AMOLED featured on the first series of the Desire. Would you recommend it? Is there any problems I should be aware of- besides the multitouch "bug"?

Go for it mate. I just bought it a month ago and I have to say this is the best device i have ever had ( was symbian nokia fanatic before N5800 lol). Believe me its a beautiful device with best hardware out there.
The only device within reasonable distance price wise and feature wise is Desire S, so if u can get that go for that or else the classic desire is a very good device.

Desire is a great phone with thousand of great ROMs.

torqtech said:
Go for it mate. I just bought it a month ago and I have to say this is the best device i have ever had ( was symbian nokia fanatic before N5800 lol). Believe me its a beautiful device with best hardware out there.
The only device within reasonable distance price wise and feature wise is Desire S, so if u can get that go for that or else the classic desire is a very good device.
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Well I'd love to get the Desire S but unafortunately it only comes with european 3G bands (900/2100) and where I live we use the same bands as AT&T.
I know that the last official update that the Desire was Froyo and there is no GB update yet. I belive this is the right place to ask this. Is there any fast & stable GB ROM with Sense out already?

guido3300 said:
I belive this is the right place to ask this. Is there any fast & stable GB ROM with Sense out already?
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i am using InsertCoin v19, GB with Sense 2.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016940
and i will try RCMixS this afternoon
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=988570
both work for most people...InsertCoin has been very fast and stable for me

You can also try miui. It just rocks!
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

nevara said:
You can also try miui. It just rocks!
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Click to collapse
that's not a Sense ROM though

Go for it, desire is AWESOME

Thank you all for your answer. Do you have a complaint about the Desire? Like why only 512MB Rom or anything?

guido3300 said:
Thank you all for your answer. Do you have a complaint about the Desire? Like why only 512MB Rom or anything?
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Click to collapse
Thats the beauty thing about all the custom roms, they all have some kind of A2SD option. With so many developers you have so many options (Sense, no-Sense, Froyo, GB). Just get a decent sd card and you will be happy. My only complaint really is the purple colour

Thank you all for your ansers. Do you all like hardware buttons on the Desire over the capacitive ones on the Aria/N1? I'm aware that capacitives are very easy to "press" when you're using the phone and that kinda sucks but they look way better IMO. Not that image matters that much but hardware buttons feels a bit 2 years ago.

guido3300 said:
Do you all like hardware buttons on the Desire
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Click to collapse
i'm upgrading to the Sensation next and am dreading not having hardware buttons
but either way, whatever you have, you DO get used to it

I have had my desire for just on a year now & i would recomend them to anyone.
Also has the advantage of being easily rooted & a large dev base.

guido3300 said:
Thank you all for your ansers. Do you all like hardware buttons on the Desire over the capacitive ones on the Aria/N1? I'm aware that capacitives are very easy to "press" when you're using the phone and that kinda sucks but they look way better IMO. Not that image matters that much but hardware buttons feels a bit 2 years ago.
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Click to collapse
Depends on wether you like buttons or capacitive ones... I am more than satisfied with my Desire especially since the Official Gingerbread is on the horizon... If you can afford it, go get it... you wont regret it in the end... believe me

Most phones with capacitive buttons tend to turn the backlight off too soon then you can't find the button in dim light. You can always feel the hardware buttons on the desire even in pitch black.
I can't think of a phone I would replace my desire with at the moment

I have a desire for almost a year with no problem at all, display is good for every day stuff, like watching job's email, surfing the internet etc... buy it defo

I've only had mine for 3 weeks and chose it over anything else at an HTC store. I like the Real buttons, great for GBA emulation. Really is just a great device with a load of options from here.

i've had the desire for a year now. i dont know how it is for other android phones but i love how theres so many tools to root and customize the phone. the desire never feels old with so much active development going on in terms of roms. i plan to keep my phone for another year or two and by then i hope they actually come out with something thats worth upgrading for. no regrets on buying it.
i know theres phones with more memory or cpu speed but honestly theres really nothing that i've seen so far that has made my phone feel slow in any way. aside from 3d games maybe but i dont see the point of playing them on my phone when all it does it drain your battery like crazy and there are way better things to play on the pc.

Is the Desire easy to root? I own an Aria and it was very easy to root. I'm afraid that if I get the Desire a8182 it will come with the lastest Hboot and I may have to downgrade it and it sound like something very hard to do since I don't understand much of programming. I'm also not sure what S-Off means. It is always S-On on the aria since it can't the turned off yet but that's all I know. There's also a lot of radios. How can I know which one is better for my location and if they're compatible with the local carriers?

guido3300 said:
Is the Desire easy to root?
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Click to collapse
very! you don't need to be s-off to install roms (just look for A2SD+ roms instead of CM7 hboot roms), and you won't need to flash a radio unless you have a reason to\
i used this guide to root, and then install CyanogenMod...now i'm flashing all over the place just for kicks
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=HTC_Desire_(GSM):_Full_Update_Guide

[Q] Should I buy the HTC Desire Z or a newer phone?

I have the HTC Wildfire S but I am thinking of buying the Desire Z because the screen on my phone is too small to text! The buttons are so small. I have tried the Desire Z and like the physical keyboard. But I'm not sure if it's good enough for fast typing?
But maybe since newer android phones are bigger it would be just as easy to type on an on screen keyboard just as a physical keyboard? They don't make many physical keyboard anyway nowadays. I would like an HTC or Samsung.
So should I get the HTC Desire Z, or get a newer HTC phone with just an on screen keyboard?
How good is the physical keyboard?
How good is the on screen portrait keyboard?
how good is the on screen landscape keyboard?
Thanks

The screen on the Z isn't that much bigger, so I don't know if you'd be able to type any better/faster on the screen than the Wildfire S. But the physical keyboard is very good. Not actually as good as older HTC phones, like the Touch Pro 2. The keys could stand to protrude a bit more, and press down farther. And the lack of dedicated number row is also a step backward. But still very good compared to keyboard from other manufacturers. Typing is definitely faster on the Z's physical keyboard than on the virtual keyboard, and probably rivals or beats virtual keyboards on bigger screened phones.
Have you tried the Swype keyboard on your Wildfire S? I pretty much can't stand typing on-screen without Swype, which makes it more bearable. Get Swype by going to their website and signing up for the beta:
http://beta.swype.com/
As for opinions on whether to buy the Z or not, there is another recent thread, with plenty of responses/opinions for you to consider:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1566749

redpoint73 said:
The screen on the Z isn't that much bigger, so I don't know if you'd be able to type any better/faster on the screen than the Wildfire S. But the physical keyboard is very good. Not actually as good as older HTC phones, like the Touch Pro 2. The keys could stand to protrude a bit more, and press down farther. And the lack of dedicated number row is also a step backward. But still very good compared to keyboard from other manufacturers. Typing is definitely faster on the Z's physical keyboard than on the virtual keyboard, and probably rivals or beats virtual keyboards on bigger screened phones.
Have you tried the Swype keyboard on your Wildfire S? I pretty much can't stand typing on-screen without Swype, which makes it more bearable. Get Swype by going to their website and signing up for the beta:
http://beta.swype.com/
As for opinions on whether to buy the Z or not, there is another recent thread, with plenty of responses/opinions for you to consider:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1566749
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I have already read that thread. I'm still unsure. It the Desire Z fast? Also, how are the on screen keyboards? Is the an on screen landscape keyboard?
By the way, my Wildfire S does not have Swype

Dolphin2 said:
I have already read that thread. I'm still unsure. It the Desire Z fast? Also, how are the on screen keyboards? Is the an on screen landscape keyboard?
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Define "fast". Its a phone that is about a year and a half old. Its acceptable for most tasks. And with the right ROM and overclocking, it can be made to perform smoother. But its starting to show its age versus the 1.5 GHz multicore flagship phones coming out now. And the One X looks like it may redefine tasks and blow away even the phone currently on the market.
---------- Post added at 08:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 PM ----------
Dolphin2 said:
Also, how are the on screen keyboards? Is the an on screen landscape keyboard?
By the way, my Wildfire S does not have Swype
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Click to collapse
Well, I've already mentioned that I have to use Swype, otherwise screen keyboards drive me crazy. And I'm on CM7 right now, so I can't tell you much about the stock Sense screen keyboard. It works well enough, from the times I've used it. But I tend to make lots of typos on this size screen.
If you mean that the Wildfire S is not supported by the Swype beta, then there are plenty of similar apps available. Or more recent HTC firmware (and custom ROMs) contains HTC Trace, which is their Swype clone.

You have 2 choices get a galaxy nexus or wait it out til HTC announces a qwerty device whenever that may be.

Vision is really fun to upgrade it and change roms and the other things... Its fun to wait for those fully working ICS roms, to dream about stable sense 4.0 roms, flash kernels, radios, mods... If I would buy a Nexus, it wouldnt be such a great experience. I would just download some apps and maybe root it...
Anyway Im very satisfied with Vision and I will change it only, when it gets really weak behind the newest devices. Kinda like wildfire now... Not the wildfire S
Sent from my Vision using XDA

Dolphin2 said:
How good is the physical keyboard?
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Physical keyboard is for me very good, no typo errors when typing, big enough. And with beta.swpe.com I use, it is for me sufficiently good combination for daily drive.

tarroyo said:
You have 2 choices get a galaxy nexus or wait it out til HTC announces a qwerty device whenever that may be.
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Why do you say there are only 2 choices? The HTC One X looks to blow away the Galaxy Nexus in terms of CPU speed, and will be released in most markets in April/May.. And the Galaxy S3 is probably going to be announced/unveiled at some point in the next few months. And that is if you are recommending the absolute top performing phones. There are plenty of other existing phones on the market that would also meet the OP's needs.

redpoint73 said:
Why do you say there are only 2 choices? The HTC One X looks to blow away the Galaxy Nexus in terms of CPU speed, and will be released in most markets in April/May.. And the Galaxy S3 is probably going to be announced/unveiled at some point in the next few months. And that is if you are recommending the absolute top performing phones. There are plenty of other existing phones on the market that would also meet the OP's needs.
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Click to collapse
I'm also on a bit of a budget. In Canada (where I live), Bell does not longer sell the Derise Z. I found one being sold online for $200 in my area. I will either buy the Desire Z or get something like the HTC One X once my contract is up in 2 years. Also, I was looking at the Samsung Captivate Glide as a very good up to date phone with a physical keyboard.

redpoint73 said:
Why do you say there are only 2 choices? The HTC One X looks to blow away the Galaxy Nexus in terms of CPU speed, and will be released in most markets in April/May.. And the Galaxy S3 is probably going to be announced/unveiled at some point in the next few months. And that is if you are recommending the absolute top performing phones. There are plenty of other existing phones on the market that would also meet the OP's needs.
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Click to collapse
Reason I said that is because One X comes with sense preinstalled, Our vision devices did not.

For me I think if u r going to mainly use the phone to send emails, sms .... Desire z is the best choice to go with. If ur focus is on browsing, games,music I think u should go with a newer version like htc one
Sent from my HTC Desire Z A7272 using XDA

I love my g2. It's much easier to send thoughtful emails/texts than any other phone out there. The hercules is the obvious replacement phone at the moment, though.Rocking em both.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda premium

TehHector said:
For me I think if u r going to mainly use the phone to send emails, sms .... Desire z is the best choice to go with. If ur focus is on browsing, games,music I think u should go with a newer version like htc one
Sent from my HTC Desire Z A7272 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My main use is for sending emails and SMS.

Buy it if you like to type much and in a comfortable way
tarroyo said:
Reason I said that is because One X comes with sense preinstalled, Our vision devices did not.
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Click to collapse
As your Vision didn't come with Sense: did you buy it as a G2? I've read that they just feature the stock Android interface. Anyways, my Desire Z had Sense preinstalled.
To answer the OP's questions:
Dolphin2 said:
...
So should I get the HTC Desire Z, or get a newer HTC phone with just an on screen keyboard?
How good is the physical keyboard?
How good is the on screen portrait keyboard?
how good is the on screen landscape keyboard?
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1st question: The only on-screen keyboard I can imagine to reach half the typing comfort of the Desire Z's physical keyboard is the Galaxy Note's one. But to lead to the
2nd question: The physical keyboard is quite comfortable and the keys are perfectly arranged for my (medium sized) hands.
3rd question: If you mean the Desire Z's on-screen keyboard - install a different one! The stock Sense keyboard is quite slow compared to the stock Android one. I also prefer Swype for daily use but the Sense one is definitely not optimal. If it comes to typing comfort itself - the on-screen keyboard is good for one-hand typing if you really have to or are just too lazy to "slide" out the physical keyboard.
4th question: If you mean the Desire Z's on-screen keyboard - one-hand typing -> portrait on-screen keyboard | two-hand typing -> physical keyboard (no need to use a landscape on-screen keyboard )

As much as I love my Desire Z, I can definitely tell it's getting dated.
If possible, I would suggest you find a phone with perhaps a bigger screen (for your typing/texting needs) and with a newer processor. With some more intensive tasks or games, the desire Z definitely shows its age.
Although, I understand that you have a budget, and if you cannot find something dual core, you are probably very well off with a Desire Z.

N4n45h1 said:
...
With some more intensive tasks or games, the desire Z definitely shows its age.
...
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Click to collapse
That's true but
Dolphin2 said:
My main use is for sending emails and SMS.
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Click to collapse
So I think that the OP will not have much of a problem with performance
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA

The keyboard is very easy to use. I have my phone ever since it first came out in the US. I have used the phone so much I can text with it without looking at the keyboard.

TpmKranz said:
As your Vision didn't come with Sense: did you buy it as a G2? I've read that they just feature the stock Android interface. Anyways, my Desire Z had Sense preinstalled.
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Click to collapse
I did, In the U.S our Vision devices are stock android.

The HTC One X looks very nice and I can imagine that it will be touting a hefty price tag when available. I currently have a G2 which I am very pleased with, for the most part. Typing emails and text is very fluid and fast but I am asking for more (especially for browsing and gaming).
I guess I need to start saving my pennies.