Just picked up a E4GT on release day. I was a Pre- user, week one on Sprint, and somehow wheedled and deedled my way through nearly two years, thanks to frequent modding and kernel upgrades on the Pre, using apps to get around some other issues, and by generally ignoring some of the glaring issues that my Pre- had developed, namely cracks around the screen, a missing USB door and power switch, and a maddening need to crash on an occasional basis.
First impressions with the E4GT:
1) Oh, is it fast. Faster than my Pre- could ever manage, even with the kernel hacks that jumped the Pre- up to a Ghz in speed. Most appreciably, restarting the phone is particularly snappy, and the GPS is scads faster to acquire location.
2) Being able to use 4G also plays into the speed increases. Though I don't get the 4G everywhere, the capacity does make things like web browsing while shopping much breezier.
3) Being able to use Android Apps - With the dismal and dissapointing support that we had as Palm/HP users, with few apps really coming out for WebOS, I missed on a lot of things that was on the market. Being able to finally load up the apps my wife has been using for the last two years is practically a miracle in itself.
4) Battery use - Not having to carry around recharging equipment everywhere I go feels like one less umbilical I have to worry about having available to me, especially while traveling for business. With judicious choices in switching off the right radios and apps, I can get the phone to easily carry through most of the day without really having to worry about it.
5) Having a nice, big screen! - The real estate available with the E4GT's screen is simply phenomenal - no 'there's plastic edging that blends into the screen to make it look bigger' ridiculous nonsense. The screen is amply large for viewing webpages, and reading e-mail. I don't even have to don my glasses to read my mail when I'm settling into bed - I can just zoom away and read without having to try to hard. A lovely luxury.
Cons:
1) WebOS > Android - Not necessarily in things like speed or efficiency; but just as far as managing multiple applications, mail management, scheduling, contacts, and integration between all of them, WebOS was simple and intuitive. I miss being able to swipe through apps, swiping to dismiss apps, deleting mails by just swiping the entry away. I'm slowly getting used to the 'hold down for more features' and other adjustments I've had to make, but I do miss that quick management that WebOS provided.
2) Quirks in the phone operation - I've found that, depending on how I hold the phone, etc, I've seen some marked degradation in signal reception. I'm beginning to wonder if the slim form factor of the phone has something to do with it - similar to that issue with The-Phone-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named that had multiple reception issues when people held their hand over certain parts of the phone. Gripping the phone in certain ways, I've noticed drops of as much as 5-10 dBm in the signal reception. I'm currently using the phone without a case, but I'm beginning to wonder...
Also, I've had some issues with things such as syncing with Exchange, and getting a wireless connection working with my office wireless network (made connection, but no internet or data through the connection) - issues that I simply did not have when I set up everything on my Palm Pre-.
In summary - there are some things I miss about the Pre-, but there are more than enough positives to make me feel as I have made the right choice in grabbing the phone!
First impressions with the E4GT:
1) Oh, is it fast. Faster than my Pre- could ever manage, even with the kernel hacks that jumped the Pre- up to a Ghz in speed. Most appreciably, restarting the phone is particularly snappy, and the GPS is scads faster to acquire location.
2) Being able to use 4G also plays into the speed increases. Though I don't get the 4G everywhere, the capacity does make things like web browsing while shopping much breezier.
3) Being able to use Android Apps - With the dismal and dissapointing support that we had as Palm/HP users, with few apps really coming out for WebOS, I missed on a lot of things that was on the market. Being able to finally load up the apps my wife has been using for the last two years is practically a miracle in itself.
4) Battery use - Not having to carry around recharging equipment everywhere I go feels like one less umbilical I have to worry about having available to me, especially while traveling for business. With judicious choices in switching off the right radios and apps, I can get the phone to easily carry through most of the day without really having to worry about it.
5) Having a nice, big screen! - The real estate available with the E4GT's screen is simply phenomenal - no 'there's plastic edging that blends into the screen to make it look bigger' ridiculous nonsense. The screen is amply large for viewing webpages, and reading e-mail. I don't even have to don my glasses to read my mail when I'm settling into bed - I can just zoom away and read without having to try to hard. A lovely luxury.
Cons:
1) WebOS > Android - Not necessarily in things like speed or efficiency; but just as far as managing multiple applications, mail management, scheduling, contacts, and integration between all of them, WebOS was simple and intuitive. I miss being able to swipe through apps, swiping to dismiss apps, deleting mails by just swiping the entry away. I'm slowly getting used to the 'hold down for more features' and other adjustments I've had to make, but I do miss that quick management that WebOS provided.
2) Quirks in the phone operation - I've found that, depending on how I hold the phone, etc, I've seen some marked degradation in signal reception. I'm beginning to wonder if the slim form factor of the phone has something to do with it - similar to that issue with The-Phone-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named that had multiple reception issues when people held their hand over certain parts of the phone. Gripping the phone in certain ways, I've noticed drops of as much as 5-10 dBm in the signal reception. I'm currently using the phone without a case, but I'm beginning to wonder...
Also, I've had some issues with things such as syncing with Exchange, and getting a wireless connection working with my office wireless network (made connection, but no internet or data through the connection) - issues that I simply did not have when I set up everything on my Palm Pre-.
In summary - there are some things I miss about the Pre-, but there are more than enough positives to make me feel as I have made the right choice in grabbing the phone!
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