Dishe has a Marquee.

[dishe]

Some of the regulars on this forum know my story already.

After all the discussion and speculation I've had about this phone, the opportunity arose for me to pick one up and try for a longer period of time (without losing my upgrade credit). My curiosity got the better of me, and I took it.

I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to keep it, but at the very least I can test some of my theories about the device and have a better idea of what we're dealing with. As I said from the beginning, I want this phone to work. And I think with a strong community behind it, it can.

Here's what I've noticed so far:
Performance is really a mixed bag. That is, the initial performance issues that I noticed are very real, but totally inconsistent. Sometimes the device responds with an expected fluidity that can rival the fastest devices on the market. Other times, it seems to lag.

It seems to stem back to the GPU. Not the GPU is underpowered (one of my original fears), because with apps optimized to use it well, the frame rate of the device is quite good. But rather there appears to be a driver problem that prevents certain apps from being able to utilize it to the fullest extent.

For example, scrolling through contacts in the dialer is smooth and fluid. Scrolling through contacts in Skype is very laggy. Zooming in and out and scrolling of high megapixel pictures from the gallery seems quite smooth, and even games at full resolution play quite well. But scrolling through something as simple as a website with a lot of fields (I tried my site, techcitement.com, which loads well on other devices I tested) seems to lag. But switching to another browser like Opera Mobile (not mini, mini server-side compresses) seems to make a difference. Contrast this with other devices that are either consistently fast or consistently slow, and it is evident to me that there is something odd in the software here.

And as many of the users here pointed out, switching the stock launcher to something that utilizes the GPU (launcher pro, etc) makes a tremendous performance difference.

Other than that, the display is great as well as the cameras (but I already knew that). Although the camera software seems to have trouble with white balance, if you are patient enough to play with the settings and/or use an alternative camera app, you can take some pretty respectable images.

Anyway, just wanted to update you guys and see where it goes from here. You can stop saying "dishe doesn't even own one" now.

 

[plonko]

My wife's Marquee arrived yesterday as well. Overall, (with Launcher pro) I'm satisfied with the phone, but I do have the following quibbles (as compared to my Samsung Captivate with leaked Gingerbread to eliminate Android-specific nuances compared to other platforms):

1) The touch screen isn't overly responsive. I find I have a lot of "missed" taps. Granted, it mainly occurs with less-than-deliberate flicks, but it is noticeable when you're trying to navigate quickly.

2) The Swype keyboard is finicky. Often times if I hit the "back" key, iit makes a strange tone and acts as if I'm trying to drag and drop the keyboard (but the keyboard doesn't move). Never had anything like it happen on any other swype keyboard.

3) The Marquee is unable to connect to hidden wifi networks. Scouring the forums it seems like a relatively common problem to Android handsets, but none of workarounds I found worked (like connecting once unhidden and then re-hiding or using market apps to connect). Not a deal breaker as I use WPA as well, but I don't like having my router broadcasting it's SSID in my condo complex.

So, as a "free" handset from Bestbuy, I can live with these issues. I'm hoping an ICS update is forthcoming and these glitches are fixed. Overall, on first impression, I give the handset a 7, lower than review websites, but still a decent phone. I agree with earlier speculation that the handset was rushed out the door without comprehensive testing.

I'm on an Airave at home so it's not a fair test of reception until I get it out around town. I'll update if additional issues present themselves worth discussing.

-Plonko

 

[cruiserandmax]

For example, scrolling through contacts in the dialer is smooth and fluid. Scrolling through contacts in Skype is very laggy. Zooming in and out and scrolling of high megapixel pictures from the gallery seems quite smooth, and even games at full resolution play quite well. But scrolling through something as simple as a website with a lot of fields (I tried my site, techcitement.com, which loads well on other devices I tested) seems to lag. But switching to another browser like Opera Mobile (not mini, mini server-side compresses) seems to make a difference. Contrast this with other devices that are either consistently fast or consistently slow, and it is evident to me that there is something odd in the software here.

I agree when I was testing this phone in the store, looking at large complex web pages (like the androidcentral homepage), scrolling around seemed laggier than on my Optimus S, I *think*. I'll have to go to some more testing.

I was psyched to hear Netflix works fine on this phone- it's got a decent screen for it!

 

[AkumaX]

I agree when I was testing this phone in the store, looking at large complex web pages (like the androidcentral homepage), scrolling around seemed laggier than on my Optimus S, I *think*. I'll have to go to some more testing.

I was psyched to hear Netflix works fine on this phone- it's got a decent screen for it!

I noticed 'sometimes' the browser is fluid, and other times it is not. I hope there's something we can do about it!

 

[dishe]

I noticed 'sometimes' the browser is fluid, and other times it is not. I hope there's something we can do about it!

Yes, well the more complicated the page the more it will tax the resources to scroll through. But, I think there are times that it is inexplicably slow, even for "mobile formatted" pages that just have solid color borders.

I think it all has to do with the GPU and the lack of proper driver support. I posted something about that here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/135633-improve-performance-tweak.html

Basically, by removing what Android thinks is a proper "driver" for the GPU, certain apps and graphic related tasks went faster. This is indicative of a problem- it means the GPU implementation isn't always helping to accelerate tasks, and in some cases even making it slower.

I think it might also be related to why the stock launcher is so laggy- it is trying to use the Android hooks for the GPU, which don't work. Aftermarket launchers seem better suited for talking directly to the GPU, so they work as expected.

Sadly, removing that driver doesn't help, and seems to only effect very specific things (perhaps those that had a choice of how they speak to the GPU). In fact, the only thing it seemed to help was a 3D benchmarking test which can now display a decent framerate instead of the abysmal rate it had out of the box.

This is just a theory, though. We need some more heads in this. And we need the Optimus Black to get Gingerbread so that we can put ours heads together.

 

[nosajsam]

And we need the Optimus Black to get Gingerbread so that we can put ours heads together.

i am assuming it didnt get released as expected on 11/28?

 

[tcaudill01]

i am assuming it didnt get released as expected on 11/28?

Well, gingerbread on the Black is a yes and no answer. Yes it did get released in Korea for their version of the P970, the KU5900. No, it has not been released to the rest of the world and from what the forums say, it is now looking like mid December before the Euro release comes out.

 

[tcaudill01]

I think it all has to do with the GPU and the lack of proper driver support. I posted something about that here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/135633-improve-performance-tweak.html

I think it might also be related to why the stock launcher is so laggy- it is trying to use the Android hooks for the GPU, which don't work. Aftermarket launchers seem better suited for talking directly to the GPU, so they work as expected.

This is just a theory, though. We need some more heads in this. And we need the Optimus Black to get Gingerbread so that we can put ours heads together.

Totally agree with dishe on the GPU driver issue. From reviews of other phones that use the VR graphics chip, they have some pretty snappy performance.

Also totally agree on needeing more heads on this. I have lots of info, memory mappings, files, and system dumps that I will gladly share with anyone that can help move this forward.

 

[donbudafuko]

Where r the driver at that u took out at an shoukd i do that to get better framerate or does it couse more problems then its worth. Ill help in any way i can dont know to much tho but am willing to learn

 

[wartorn]

I wish I could help, but I know jack and squat about programming. I guess I could help with any brute force stuff.

 

[dishe]

Also totally agree on needeing more heads on this. I have lots of info, memory mappings, files, and system dumps that I will gladly share with anyone that can help move this forward.

Its probably beyond my skill set, but I wouldn't mind knowing exactly what is going on- maybe I can think of something we didn't try yet. We should talk.

 

[tcaudill01]

Its probably beyond my skill set, but I wouldn't mind knowing exactly what is going on- maybe I can think of something we didn't try yet. We should talk.

When I get home this afternoon, I'll upload all my stuff to mediashare or hotfile account and send you the link via PM.