As previously stated, I want to like this phone and I am putting it thru its paces for the ATT remorse period until the S4 is available.
This post will also be posted in the HTC threads. Let me clear, I am NOT a Samsung fan boy. I am loyal to no brand or OS and go back and forth between iOS and Android. I am currently using an S3.
THE GOOD:
1. Build design and materials(not a comment on quality) is as good as advertised. Feels and looks great.
2. Display also as good as advertised, bright and sharp.(Size too small, especially with black bar, see below)
3. FAST, everything is lightening quick.
4. BoomSound/Beats: For me personally, having the loud speakers is a waste since I always keep the phone on vibrate and consume media thru headphones but the quality is there. HOWEVER, output thru my bluetooth headphones is simply the best I've heard. Toggling Beats on and off was quite noticeable. Well done HTC.
5. Native Exchange client: good enough that I dont feel the need to install Touchdown. Set up easy, good functionality.
6. Native SMS client: Way better than Sammy's, no need for Handcent. Nice customizations and swiping reveals lots of neat info on contacts. Also, great pic sync for contacts.
7. HTC keyboard, nicely done. Space bar is a bit sticky but feel no need to use SwiftKey. Miles better than Sammy's.
THE BAD:
1. LED light. I like being able to tweak the color so I can glance at the phone and know who are what notifications are waiting for me. Even Blackberry lets you tweak the color. Having to turn on the screen every time is a battery waster and feeds into other problems...see below.
2. Dreaded Black Bar: HTC's decision to eschew a menu key, while in technical compliance with Google spec(for u Adrian ) forces a black menu bar into many apps(like Facebook) chewing up already limited screen space. Granted 4.7 vs. 4.8 or 5.0 is a personal choice but for me when the black bar is present, everything seems cramped.
3. No settings toggles in the pull down shade. SILLY HTC. I know there are 3rd party apps and widgets but this is just a stupid omission as many professional reviews have noted.
4. Maybe I am missing it, but no way to show battery % on the status bar. I'm sure it's available 3rd party but again, silly.
5. Blinkfeed, nowhere near as elegant or comprehensive as Flipboard so what was the point of forcing it on the user? You can't like/comment in the Facebook or Twitter feeds without being taken to the apps themselves, which defeats the purpose. Flipboard lets you like/comment within Flipboard itself. 10x better.
THE UGLY:
1. Style over function, the switch gear on this phone while aesthetically pleasing is a disaster. For a right hander who holds the phone in his left hand, as I'm sure most do, the power button is in the worst possible place and to make matters worse, it's flush. It is near impossible to activate this phone by feel. For me, because of the poor LED, I constantly have to fiddle with the switch just to find out if I have an notifications. Likewise the volume rocker can't be used by feel since there is no way to distinguish up from down.
2. Soft Keys. As MANY others have complained, the back and home buttons seem to have a mind of their own. It only registers my input 1 out of 3 times. Worse still, they dont light up when the screen is on. They only light up in extreme dark conditions. I've looked everywhere for settings and found none. In all but the best lighting conditions or a dark room, it's total guess work as to where the keys are and then it's a crap shoot as to whether my press is registered.
UNTESTED: call quality
TOO SOON TO TELL: Battery life, only 2 charges so far and so much screen time, not fair to comment yet. Camera, only had time for some indoor shots which as expected for this phone are acceptable.
There you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly.
This post will also be posted in the HTC threads. Let me clear, I am NOT a Samsung fan boy. I am loyal to no brand or OS and go back and forth between iOS and Android. I am currently using an S3.
THE GOOD:
1. Build design and materials(not a comment on quality) is as good as advertised. Feels and looks great.
2. Display also as good as advertised, bright and sharp.(Size too small, especially with black bar, see below)
3. FAST, everything is lightening quick.
4. BoomSound/Beats: For me personally, having the loud speakers is a waste since I always keep the phone on vibrate and consume media thru headphones but the quality is there. HOWEVER, output thru my bluetooth headphones is simply the best I've heard. Toggling Beats on and off was quite noticeable. Well done HTC.
5. Native Exchange client: good enough that I dont feel the need to install Touchdown. Set up easy, good functionality.
6. Native SMS client: Way better than Sammy's, no need for Handcent. Nice customizations and swiping reveals lots of neat info on contacts. Also, great pic sync for contacts.
7. HTC keyboard, nicely done. Space bar is a bit sticky but feel no need to use SwiftKey. Miles better than Sammy's.
THE BAD:
1. LED light. I like being able to tweak the color so I can glance at the phone and know who are what notifications are waiting for me. Even Blackberry lets you tweak the color. Having to turn on the screen every time is a battery waster and feeds into other problems...see below.
2. Dreaded Black Bar: HTC's decision to eschew a menu key, while in technical compliance with Google spec(for u Adrian ) forces a black menu bar into many apps(like Facebook) chewing up already limited screen space. Granted 4.7 vs. 4.8 or 5.0 is a personal choice but for me when the black bar is present, everything seems cramped.
3. No settings toggles in the pull down shade. SILLY HTC. I know there are 3rd party apps and widgets but this is just a stupid omission as many professional reviews have noted.
4. Maybe I am missing it, but no way to show battery % on the status bar. I'm sure it's available 3rd party but again, silly.
5. Blinkfeed, nowhere near as elegant or comprehensive as Flipboard so what was the point of forcing it on the user? You can't like/comment in the Facebook or Twitter feeds without being taken to the apps themselves, which defeats the purpose. Flipboard lets you like/comment within Flipboard itself. 10x better.
THE UGLY:
1. Style over function, the switch gear on this phone while aesthetically pleasing is a disaster. For a right hander who holds the phone in his left hand, as I'm sure most do, the power button is in the worst possible place and to make matters worse, it's flush. It is near impossible to activate this phone by feel. For me, because of the poor LED, I constantly have to fiddle with the switch just to find out if I have an notifications. Likewise the volume rocker can't be used by feel since there is no way to distinguish up from down.
2. Soft Keys. As MANY others have complained, the back and home buttons seem to have a mind of their own. It only registers my input 1 out of 3 times. Worse still, they dont light up when the screen is on. They only light up in extreme dark conditions. I've looked everywhere for settings and found none. In all but the best lighting conditions or a dark room, it's total guess work as to where the keys are and then it's a crap shoot as to whether my press is registered.
UNTESTED: call quality
TOO SOON TO TELL: Battery life, only 2 charges so far and so much screen time, not fair to comment yet. Camera, only had time for some indoor shots which as expected for this phone are acceptable.
There you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly.
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