I’m looking to get a new phone (pretty decided on an HTC Touch Pro - the one with the keyboard). Where do people recommend I get it (is it even out yet?) Anyone got one and can tell me if it is overall better than an iPhone 3G (my 2nd choice). How much can we expect it to cost - are any mobile carriers offering it with a contract?
On a slightly different topic, as the phone has Wifi, I was thinking of subscribing to one of Taipei’s public Wifi services. Which one is best and how much does it cost? Unlimited bandwidth usage? Can I use multiple devices on the same subscription?
I imagine the interface is exactly the same, how do you find it?
I have an HTC TyTn II which I love because of the keyboard (sadly lacking from the iPhone), but I’m not the biggest fan of Windows Mobile (apart from life-saving PlecoDict), from the demo of the Touch interface online it looks pretty slick, although I’m quite sure it won’t be as nice as the iPhone interface…
Have any Taiwan carriers announced they’ll sell the iPhone 3G or are we going to have to go black market?
Oh sweet, just saw in the Pleco forums that they are working on a native version of PlecoDict for the iPhone, that will pretty much remove my “need” for a Windows phone, I still like the HTC keyboards though :-s
Hope they offer a cross-grade version for that, I already crossed from PalmOS to Windows Mobile, but maybe it won’t be possible if you have to buy it from the iTunes app store…
[quote=“ALT83”]I imagine the interface is exactly the same, how do you find it?
I have an HTC TyTn II which I love because of the keyboard (sadly lacking from the iPhone), but I’m not the biggest fan of Windows Mobile (apart from life-saving PlecoDict), from the demo of the Touch interface online it looks pretty slick, although I’m quite sure it won’t be as nice as the iPhone interface…
Have any Taiwan carriers announced they’ll sell the iPhone 3G or are we going to have to go black market?
Alex[/quote]The interface on the Touch Pro will be the new Touchflo 3D one (also found on the Touch Diamond). It’s a lot better than the one on the original Touch. It’s integrated into many apps, as opposed to the original Touchflo interface which was really just a fancy standby screen/launcher. The underlying WM6.1 OS is also better than WM6.
Having said that, the Touch Pro isn’t out yet. Neither is the Sony Experia X1, another keyboarded WM phone you should consider.
Plecodict’s a whole lot easier with a keyboard. And of course WM phones run loads of different programs including Full Recall, an excellent spaced repetition review application.
Or you could get an expensive but cool-looking toy that won’t even let you cut and paste, shoot video clips, replace the battery, or view Flash websites/use Flash apps.
[quote=“ALT83”]I imagine the interface is exactly the same, how do you find it?
I have an HTC TyTn II which I love because of the keyboard (sadly lacking from the iPhone), but I’m not the biggest fan of Windows Mobile (apart from life-saving PlecoDict), from the demo of the Touch interface online it looks pretty slick, although I’m quite sure it won’t be as nice as the iPhone interface…[/quote]Sorry, I’m not the one to ask. I can’t even pretend to be objective as I’ve had nothing but grief from my Touch. Finally took it in yesterday. Guy spent the better part of an hour on it, confirmed that most of the difficulties I’m having are due to Windows Mobile, then handed it back in fairly decent working order. Did a good job. Nice guy. Didn’t even charge me for his time.
I went home and didn’t so much as touch the damn thing; this morning, the speed dial was back on the fritz.
What can I say: it’s supposed to be a phone plus; instead, it’s not even a fully functional phone.
The interface does looks slick, but leads to little that works.
Cheers for the advice guys. OK, I didn’t realise the interface was different for the Pro/Diamond - but is sure does look cool on the website.
I know what you’re saying about the iPhone, the only reason I was considering it was because all my personal computers are Macs and the whole Mobile Me thing with Push email (ala Blackberry) looks pretty appealing and of course the MP3/video capabilities are significantly better than any other mobile. The iPod Touch is still a consideration as it has most of the things (and of course more space), but I just really don’t like the idea of carrying another bulky device in my pockets…
Have any of you subscribed to Taipei’s WIFI? Is it citywide and worthwhile?
Also, which is the best 3G data plan / network that would be compatible with the Pro? Any unlimited ones available?
[quote=“ALT83”]Cheers for the advice guys. OK, I didn’t realise the interface was different for the Pro/Diamond - but is sure does look cool on the website.[/quote]Why don’t you go to a shop and try out the Diamond to see if you like the interface? There’s actually an HTC showroom on Zhongxiao Rd somewhere near Xinsheng Rd (Guanghua Market area). You can’t buy phones there but I think you can try them out.
[quote=“ALT83”]Have any of you subscribed to Taipei’s WIFI? Is it citywide and worthwhile?[/quote]You mean Wifly? The furthest I’ve got is switching my laptop on in a coffee shop and seeing that in addition to the option to pay then and there for Wifly service, I may also be able to get a free or discounted password for it from my ISP. There are around nine partner companies and I haven’t yet got round to seeing whether the cable company is one of them.
Wifly is citywide to an extent. But you can’t exactly get a signal in every street.
[quote=“ALT83”]Also, which is the best 3G data plan / network that would be compatible with the Pro? Any unlimited ones available?
Thanks,
Alex[/quote]Yes, there are unlimited ones available from all the major cellphone carriers I think. The price for unlimited data should be around 800 NT. So if you were going to have to pay for Wifly (i.e. not free through your home ISP), then it would probably make sense just to go for an unlimited 3G plan instead, and that’s got the advantage that you’ll have coverage around Taiwan. Not every area has actual 3G/3.5G, but everywhere that has normal cellphone reception will be able to offer at least GPRS or EDGE (older, slower data services).
The show room is on the other side of the road, get out at the park something exit, you should see a mos burger when you get out, walk about one or two blocks down the road and the show room is there.
I’ve got a friend who got a Touch and he has had nothing but problems with it, I’d stick with the TyTN II until either the 3G iPhone or the Touch Pro comes out. According to Play.com they should have handsets in stock on the 29th of August.
It’s always worth having a look at PCHome, not the best prices, but at least you get an idea of what’s available. shopping.pchome.com.tw/?mod=area … =AEAA&BB=A
The next tab is normal phones.
I think the problem with a lot of HTC devices is that the company is trying to do things on the cheap now and it hasn’t worked in their favour. They’ve gotten sloppy and run into a lot of problems with their handsets, which really is a shame. It’s not actually Windows Mobile per se, but rather a buggy implementation by most manufacturers. I’ve tested a few different models and makes and some even have memory leaks while others don’t. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but you might want to wait for 6.1 which will hopefully (fingers crossed and all that) fix all the little “glitches”.
I’m considering retiring my TyTN in favour of a SE G900, as I want something a bit more pocket friendly. You might also want to have a look at Expansys, they have a Taiwanese site, although they ship from HK. Some stuff is over priced though. My guess is that the 3G iPhone will cost NT$22-25,000 when it comes out here, contract free.
Oh, with regards to WiFly, a lot of the phone companies gives it to you free if you sign up to certain 3G contracts. Not sure how it works or if you need to get a 3G USB modem as well, but I know they do package deals.
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]The show room is on the other side of the road, get out at the park something exit, you should see a mos burger when you get out, walk about one or two blocks down the road and the show room is there.
I’ve got a friend who got a Touch and he has had nothing but problems with it, I’d stick with the TyTN II until either the 3G iPhone or the Touch Pro comes out. According to Play.com they should have handsets in stock on the 29th of August.
…
I think the problem with a lot of HTC devices is that the company is trying to do things on the cheap now and it hasn’t worked in their favour. They’ve gotten sloppy and run into a lot of problems with their handsets, which really is a shame. It’s not actually Windows Mobile per se, but rather a buggy implementation by most manufacturers. I’ve tested a few different models and makes and some even have memory leaks while others don’t. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but you might want to wait for 6.1 which will hopefully (fingers crossed and all that) fix all the little “glitches”.[/quote]WM6.1 is out already, on the Touch Diamond (I still suggest having a play around with that in the showroom as the interface is nearly identical to that of the forthcoming Touch Pro), and on the Toshiba G810. The latter is pretty good value for money, actually, if you can live without a keyboard and with a regular resolution screen. A friend just bought one for 15,000 NT.
Apparently WM6.1 phones still hang from time to time, for whatever reason. My friend’s phone does it whenever he tries to use MSN Messenger.
I think any of the latest Windows Mobile phones should be upgradeable to WM7 when that comes out.
That’s not all. The iPhone lacks:
SD/miniSD/microSD port (i.e., it has no flashmem port)
removable USIM
Pocket Office or equivalent
a Back button to the last function you used (you always go through iPhone home to change function)
IMO, the iPhone sucks as a business tool, but seems to work well for people who think WM is “too complicated”.
[quote]No announcements yet, so it will be ass-rapingly expensive on the local grey market.
Think 20-25,000nt.[/quote]
By comparison how much do you think the Pro will cost if unlocked and/or how much on an unlimited 3G data plan?
I will probably also go for the Pro when it’s out just because I don’t like being a follower, looks more professional and kind of shows “Taiwan Pride” me thinks…
[quote=“ALT83”][quote]No announcements yet, so it will be ass-rapingly expensive on the local grey market.
Think 20-25,000nt.[/quote]
By comparison how much do you think the Pro will cost if unlocked and/or how much on an unlimited 3G data plan?
I will probably also go for the Pro when it’s out just because I don’t like being a follower, looks more professional and kind of shows “Taiwan Pride” me thinks…[/quote]
The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is out soon, it’s like the next model up from the Touch Pro. pocketables.net/2008/06/htc-touch-pro-v.html
That looks pretty slick. Is it purely physical/interface differences? Looks like the screen may be a bit bigger and slightly higher res yes thinner overall…
Unfortunately I have a fundamental promise to myself to never buy Sony products… Will HTC release their own version?
Is the Xperia interface fundamentally different from the Touch one? Have you tried it?
That looks pretty slick. Is it purely physical/interface differences? Looks like the screen may be a bit bigger and slightly higher res yes thinner overall…
Unfortunately I have a fundamental promise to myself to never buy Sony products… Will HTC release their own version?
Is the Xperia interface fundamentally different from the Touch one? Have you tried it?
Alex[/quote]The Xperia is made by HTC, actually!
The interface should be similar, maybe even a bit slicker. There’s some stuff about it on Sony’s site. Something about nine panels on the home screen which you can zoom in and out of for various functions/apps. The device itself will be more expensive than the Touch Pro, no doubt. I’d guess around 25,000 NT at first.
The screen is a bit bigger and the resolution is greater along one dimension. Check out the specs that KingZog linked to.
