Anyone else waiting for a better WP7 device on Verizon?

[boe]

I really like WP7 a lot.   A few people I know have the Focus.   It works great with Exchange, office documents, pretty much all I care about besides being able to get signal when I call the Focus has.

The Trophy is an interesting phone but I really would prefer a higher end phone if I'm going to carry it for 2 years.   It certainly is slimmer than the Arrive and that is an important feature to me.   Rumors have it with the Mango release we'll see some new WP7 hardware.

I'd actually be willing to switch today if Verizon had gotten the Focus although it isn't quite as high end as I'd like to go.

• I want a 4.3" or 4.5" screen - super amoled plus like the Galaxy S II has would be sweet.

• I want 1650 mah battery like the Galaxy S II has or 1730 mah like the EVO 3D.

• I want 4G service like most recent smartphones have.

• I want BT 3.0 like most recent phones have.

I know WP7 runs well on the old snapdragon processor but I've been building computers for 20 years and you can never have a processor that is too fast (otherwise I wouldn't have to have replaced my first computer).    So a step up in the processor would be welcome although the size of the screen and the battery are my biggest concerns.

I just hope when the new hardware is announced, Verizon won't take so long to supply it to their customers like they did with the Trophy (which other than the worldphone part was released to the rest of the world about 9 months ago).

[hopmedic]

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boe wrote:

I really like WP7 a lot.   A few people I know have the Focus.   It works great with Exchange, office documents, pretty much all I care about besides being able to get signal when I call the Focus has.

The Trophy is an interesting phone but I really would prefer a higher end phone if I'm going to carry it for 2 years.   It certainly is slimmer than the Arrive and that is an important feature to me.   Rumors have it with the Mango release we'll see some new WP7 hardware.

I'd actually be willing to switch today if Verizon had gotten the Focus although it isn't quite as high end as I'd like to go.

• I want a 4.3" or 4.5" screen - super amoled plus like the Galaxy S II has would be sweet.

• I want 1650 mah battery like the Galaxy S II has or 1730 mah like the EVO 3D.

• I want 4G service like most recent smartphones have.

• I want BT 3.0 like most recent phones have.

I know WP7 runs well on the old snapdragon processor but I've been building computers for 20 years and you can never have a processor that is too fast (otherwise I wouldn't have to have replaced my first computer).    So a step up in the processor would be welcome although the size of the screen and the battery are my biggest concerns.

I just hope when the new hardware is announced, Verizon won't take so long to supply it to their customers like they did with the Trophy (which other than the worldphone part was released to the rest of the world about 9 months ago).

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1. New hardware with Mango is not a rumor.  It was part of the press conference yesterday.  In fact, they are adding 3 new hardware manufacturers (Acer, Fujitsu, and a Chinese company).  Also, Nokia, who doesn't yet have a WP7 device on the market is working feverishly to launch this year, and they have stated their phones will have Mango.

2. God only knows how long it will be until Verizon launches another WP7 device.  However, if they learned their lesson from today's launch, it is that WP7 is wanted.

3. 4G you won't see until Mango, as it is not supported in NoDo.  Also, unless you live in a 4G area, a 4G phone will do nothing but run the battery dead faster.  Yes, 4G is good for that.  Personally, I have been impressed with the operation of the Focus on 3G, even though I live in a fringe area.  I can definitely tell the difference between 3G and Edge, though.  As far as the processor, one of the reasons this phone is so fast is that Microsoft has tight control over the hardware that it goes onto, so it is optimized for that hardware. 

Nine months ago, Windows Phone 7 was still just being talked about.  It launched 7 months ago (on my birthday).  And the holdup from October until February was that there was no CDMA support in Windows Phone 7.  I'll give Verizon a pass for up to March, when Sprint launched the first CDMA WP7 device in the world, on the 23rd.  But between the end of March and now, that two months is all Verizon's fault.  Yes, most of the phone is 7 months old, however, the CDMA support was up to Microsoft.  That doesn't make us any less aggravated, but we should be mindful of just what fault lies where.

Personally, I hope some Nokia models come to Big Red.  Nokia has stated that one of their models next year will be the most powerful phone at the time it is launched.  That's what I'm talking about.  But if it doesn't, I have been impressed with the hardware in the five HTC phones I have owned over the years.

[boe]

1. New hardware with Mango is not a rumor.  It was part of the press conference yesterday.  In fact, they are adding 3 new hardware manufacturers (Acer, Fujitsu, and a Chinese company).  Also, Nokia, who doesn't yet have a WP7 device on the market is working feverishly to launch this year, and they have stated their phones will have Mango.

2. God only knows how long it will be until Verizon launches another WP7 device.  However, if they learned their lesson from today's launch, it is that WP7 is wanted.

3. 4G you won't see until Mango, as it is not supported in NoDo.  Also, unless you live in a 4G area, a 4G phone will do nothing but run the battery dead faster.  Yes, 4G is good for that.  Personally, I have been impressed with the operation of the Focus on 3G, even though I live in a fringe area.  I can definitely tell the difference between 3G and Edge, though.  As far as the processor, one of the reasons this phone is so fast is that Microsoft has tight control over the hardware that it goes onto, so it is optimized for that hardware. 

Nine months ago, Windows Phone 7 was still just being talked about.  It launched 7 months ago (on my birthday).  And the holdup from October until February was that there was no CDMA support in Windows Phone 7.  I'll give Verizon a pass for up to March, when Sprint launched the first CDMA WP7 device in the world, on the 23rd.  But between the end of March and now, that two months is all Verizon's fault.  Yes, most of the phone is 7 months old, however, the CDMA support was up to Microsoft.  That doesn't make us any less aggravated, but we should be mindful of just what fault lies where.

Personally, I hope some Nokia models come to Big Red.  Nokia has stated that one of their models next year will be the most powerful phone at the time it is launched.  That's what I'm talking about.  But if it doesn't, I have been impressed with the hardware in the five HTC phones I have owned over the years.

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1.  I don't think there were any guarantees that the hardware comes as Mango is released - I think it is just at this point guaranteed after Mango which in anticipation time - could mean a long wait.

2. I too sincerely hope Verizon does learn a lesson about WP7 popularity.   Even though they picked mediocre hardware there are many claims that Verizon was told they were out of them although others are claiming Verizon for whatever reason is just trying to talk people out of buying WP7 phones.

3.  The 4G wait makes no sense to me.   They release hardware before the drivers are available which I have seen.  They certainly released WP7 before copy and paste was available.  They could just release WP7 phones with 4G on board but not functional until Mango is available.   As for 4G draining your battery - certainly a well established fact - however you might also want to point out you can turn it off when you don't need it and use 3G.

4.You are correct about 7 months.   However on the other hand, Verizon had more time to pick phones than the GSM providers and certainly could have picked better hardware since they had a wider selection than the initial round with GSM providers.

[hopmedic]

Ok - I didn't mean that there would necessarily be new hardware on the day Mango is released.  Just that there has already been commitment that there will be new hardware based on Mango.  Yes, you are right, it could (God help us) be months.  But I doubt it.  I would be surprised if there weren't new devices (though not on Big Red) within weeks, if they are not released that day.

Yes, the VZW employees trying to turn people away from WP7 is quite aggravating. 

I didn't say that hardware couldn't support 4g before mango.  For all I know, some of it might.  That's a spec I have not looked at.  But until the software supports it, it won't work even if it is there.  Which means Mango.

And yes, you're right, Verizon could have picked better hardware.  I'm not sure whether time had anything to do with it, or what the relationship is between what manufacturers make and what Verizon asks for, but would think they could have done better.  I do know, though, that they picked this phone in December if not before that, as they advertised it in December to MS employees.  That doesn't cut them any slack for not putting up additional phones, however.

[protonhead]

If 4G were supported on the Trophy when Mango launches that would be GREAT, but there isn't any reason for Verizon to allow it to be turned on, given their past performance. They would rather sell a new phone (not nice).

[boe]

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hopmedic wrote:

Yes, the VZW employees trying to turn people away from WP7 is quite aggravating. 

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I sure hope that changes soon.  I'd hate to be in a contract with Verizon and think Verizon is purposely not getting good WP7 hardware or that Verizon and MS will get into a **bleep** contest and Verizon will stop carrying MS phones.

[veprk]

I wouldn't expect any new WP7 devices on Verizon for quite a while.  Given Verizon's lack of enthusiasm for WP7 and the uncertainty of how well it is going to be able to compete against Android and the iPhone they are going to watch how things unfold before they decide to invest much more into WP7.  That being said, I'm sure that new devices will come, but until WP7 becomes a major player in the market it just won't get priority, so it could be a long time.

The only thing that we can take from the upcoming Mango update is that the likelihood of seeing any new devices for GSM or CDMA prior to Mango is very small, the only exception I'm aware of is the HD7s.

I was also worried about the screen size.  I am coming from a droid, and I like the hardware keyboard, but the feedback I have heard and read about the WP7 keyboard has motivated me to forego those concerns, it is supposed to be in a class of its own.

Aside from that I agree that you can never have enough processing power, but if the current device doesn't make you wait on the processor then it's not a huge issue.  I don't really use bluetooth, so I didn't even consider that.

I finally decided to go ahead and get the Trophy knowing that I might pay full retail to get a newer device if it was compelling enough.

[boe]

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veprk wrote:

I finally decided to go ahead and get the Trophy knowing that I might pay full retail to get a newer device if it was compelling enough.

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Congrats on getting a Trophy.   I read a lot of posts by people being told they were sold out - lucky for you that you didn't encounter that.

[veprk]

Thanks, having to get up for work at 5:30 in the morning paid off for once!

[boe]

There are rumors of a more Galaxy like device for WP7 coming with mango.   Hopefully Verizon won't be playing games with MS on the next hardware batch.   I'd really like a really good WP7 phone on Verizon.

[hopmedic]

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boe wrote:

There are rumors of a more Galaxy like device for WP7 coming with mango.   Hopefully Verizon won't be playing games with MS on the next hardware batch.   I'd really like a really good WP7 phone on Verizon.

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I sure hope there's something better.  I'm QUITE disappointed in this phone, after having used a Samsung Focus for two weeks.  I am quite disappointed in HTC on this one as well.  I've loved hte other 4 HTC phones I've owned.

[boe]

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hopmedic wrote:

I sure hope there's something better.  I'm QUITE disappointed in this phone, after having used a Samsung Focus for two weeks.  I am quite disappointed in HTC on this one as well.  I've loved hte other 4 HTC phones I've owned.

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Understandable the Focus has a bigger screen, a sharper screen that is easier to read at more of angle, the Focus is slimmer and has better battery life.   The only thing the Trophy has going for it is Verizon. 

[SmoothDouglas]

I am disappointed with the HTC Trophy in comparison to the other phones.  However, I am on Verizon and AT&T has OK service and no UNLIMITED Data.  That made the HTC Trophy the only device I really could get.  I wish Verizon had a similar Samsung Focus or Dell Venue Pro.  I LOVE both of those devices.  I'll be content with my Trophy when I get it on Tuesday.  However, I have the $$ to change it out for whatever comes along when Mango arrives.  I'm hoping for a killer phone from Verizon when that time comes around.  The HTC will do just fine for the next 6-8 months.  I'll then give it to my wife or sell it online and buy something better.

[texanator]

I thought about waiting, but the trophy is very nice and, well, it's  not an iPhone.

Seriously, though. While it's not as polished as the focus it runs very smoothly. I'm enjoying Harvest and the other games and watching Netflix on my phone is awesome.

It's worth getting now, and was worth the wait.

[cgon]

I think I may be the only person that prefers the Trophy over the Focus from a design aspect. I've played around with a friend's and there's something about the shape that bothers me. I don't like the curve at the bottom. And for me, I like having a little more weight to the phone. The Focus is just too light for me. On terms of specs, as long as my phone runs smoothly (and it does) I'm good to go.

What's the Focus like un sunlight? It's been my experience that OLED-type screens are horrible in sunlight. I know my Zune HD is almost unusable in bright sunlight.

[hopmedic]

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cgon wrote:
I think I may be the only person that prefers the Trophy over the Focus from a design aspect. I've played around with a friend's and there's something about the shape that bothers me. I don't like the curve at the bottom. And for me, I like having a little more weight to the phone. The Focus is just too light for me. On terms of specs, as long as my phone runs smoothly (and it does) I'm good to go.

What's the Focus like un sunlight? It's been my experience that OLED-type screens are horrible in sunlight. I know my Zune HD is almost unusable in bright sunlight.

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I agree with you about the curve at the bottom of the Focus.  I want a phone that will lay flat on a table.  I had put a rubbery grip thing on the back of the Focus I had, and I had to reposition it three times to find a place where it would actually fit, and also touch the surface it was sitting on.  The AMOLED screen is SWEET, too.  I don't recall using it in sunlight, though, so I can't say whether I found your experience to be the case for me or not.

[hogs518]

How can some of y'all judge a phone you haven't used? I've had the phone since Friday and I am extremely impressed. If I could some up the phone in one word it would be Smooth. So much smoother than my Droid 2 and my friends messed with it and they were highly impressed with how smooth and quick you can do anything on the phone (they have iphones). And with the batteries, there are plenty of options with buying higher power batteries, either ones that fit normally in the Trophy or require a larger cover.

And when it comes to 4G, I read somewhere recently that only 2 cities in the nation have true 4G service. Verizon is about to add I think 15 or so more cities very soon, but chances are you might not live in one of those cities. The article went on to say that Verizon will have complete 4G service by the end of 2013....2013???? So if you're from a smaller state like me, there's a good chance you won't have 4G service for a very long time.

[hopmedic]

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hogs518 wrote:

How can some of y'all judge a phone you haven't used? I've had the phone since Friday and I am extremely impressed. If I could some up the phone in one word it would be Smooth. So much smoother than my Droid 2 and my friends messed with it and they were highly impressed with how smooth and quick you can do anything on the phone (they have iphones). And with the batteries, there are plenty of options with buying higher power batteries, either ones that fit normally in the Trophy or require a larger cover.

And when it comes to 4G, I read somewhere recently that only 2 cities in the nation have true 4G service. Verizon is about to add I think 15 or so more cities very soon, but chances are you might not live in one of those cities. The article went on to say that Verizon will have complete 4G service by the end of 2013....2013???? So if you're from a smaller state like me, there's a good chance you won't have 4G service for a very long time.

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I've used the Sprint Arrive, the ATT Samsung Focus, and now the Verizon Trophy.  The first two I used for two weeks each.  The Focus is the best of the three, easily.  Personally, the Trophy has been the worst for me, although I do think I have a defective handset, as it keeps locking up, so Tuesday I'm going to call and try to get it replaced.  No one else seems to be having the problems I have, so I think it's limited to my handset.

[hogs518]

Yeah you must have a defective phone because I have not had the problem once. Sorry man hope you get that worked out I have had my fair share of problems with phones. I went through 8 Droids in the past year because Verizon is retarded.

[finding_remo21]

I was debating exactly that, but I ended up ordering the Trophy and have had it since Saturday. 

Although there really isn't anything special about it (i.e. Super AMOLED, 8mp camera, etc.) which is why I was hesitant in getting it, I've been quit satisfied so far. The three questionable aspects I was worried about when I ordered it were display, camera, and battery and so far none of them has been a major issue.

Display - I'm a huge fan of Samsung's displays so I was leary of HTC's LCD, and then I found out it wasn't even a SLCD so I was doubly worried. After getting the phone though, I'm pretty happy with it. The colors are quite good, although not as deep as SAMOLED of course. And it's pretty comparable to SLCD, the only noticable drawback are viewing angles which appear to be a bit less. And truthfully, I couldn't care less because the phone is always going to be in my hand where I'll always be looking at it straight on.

Camera - I wouldn't go so far as to say it's terible, but I definitely wouldn't say it's good. I think "good enough" is probably an accurate description.

Battery - I've put it through some rather irregular use since I got it, so my experince so for might not be completely accurate, but it's definitely not great. I saw someone mention an 1800 mAh extended battery (without the extra hump) so I'm definitely going to get that as long as there's nothing really wrong with it.

Overall, I have definitely been happy with it. What the Trophy lacks in some areas, it makes up for in build qulity and ergonomics. Between the curvaure/shape and the soft touch covering, it feels great, really solid, and just good overall. And of course WP7 runs flawlessly as designed. Unless you've got your heart set on a specific feature set that may or may not ever come out, I definitely recommend the Trophy

[hopmedic]

Glad you like it!  I was concerned about the display as well, and when I compared it side by side with the Samsung Focus, was quite disapppointed.  But when using it on its own, without having the AMOLED next to it, it does look very good.  I heard someone say that the AMOLED doesn't look as good in sunlight, but I didn't specifically look for that when I had the Focus (I will when I get my Focus in the mail in a day or so), so I don't know.  I think I have a defective handset, so there's a replacement on the way that will arrive on Thursday, but other than that, I'm quite happy with the phone.