If chasing specs and being able to claim you have a dual core phone is important to you get an Android device. You might be able to save some money as well.

If you want the best overall experience get iPhone 4. Broader content, applications, games, accessories, compatibility. Generally a smoother experience.

I have a Desire HD. Really good phone. Not had any of the battery issues that people seemed to have been affected by. Screen is very responsive, the array of apps is superb now and the amount you can customize the Android devices is superb.

To the fella above, isn't it Apple who claim to be constantly at the forefront with the Iphone 4? What with the screen and all that jazz. If your chasing specs and are all about the brand surely you will stump the extra to get the Iphone 4?

No one has ever brought an Apple product for specs alone. Apple's competitions nearly always look better on a spec sheet. The N96 was better than a iPhone on paper.

Apple does place more emphasis about overall experience, of course specs can enhance that experience (like the display, which is hugely important). Apple will for example talk about battery life, but they will never really talk about the RAM in their phones, as one example. Whereas in the Android community and vendors commonly like to talk about RAM, clockspeed, overclocking etc.

HTC try and sell the experience with their HTC Sense features. I would say part of that is why HTC are one of the most successful Android vendors. But it is harder for them because they aren't fully in control of their own platform.

And many, many people far smarter than me know just like the desktop era of computing it always was and always will be all about software. Good software can sing on mediocre bad hardware. Bad software can slow good hardware to a crawl.

So software is where all the interesting stuff will happen and where all the advances will take place.

My advice to anyone would be when making a decision is to value real word performance and usability over a list of specs. And of course that will be a personal decision. After all these are far more personal, intimate devices than any other general purpose computing device which has gone before.

That's not right at all. Apple isn't about the user experience, it's just about marketing. They've successfully established a fan base and somehow made everyone believe the iphone was and still is the best phone in the world. In reality it probably never was and it is now more than showing it's age. I mean the icons as the only option for the home screen? They are the phone equivalent of the Wii, successful because of it's marketing and not it's performance IMO. Look at their recent adverts, which are bordering on criminal. "Without an iphone you've not got the ibook store". No, perhaps not, but with another phone you'd have Kindle which is far, far better. "Without an iphone you don't have an ipod in your phone" No, but you have a better quality media player with a different name. "Without an iphone you don't have an iphone" Well, quite. Making it a must have for the sheep is their main strength.

Apple's computers are the same. Very 'cool' but as a consumer purchase they are a choice of paying £350 more than you should be doing just for the perception that it's 'cool' and 'amazing' and 'better'.

Anyone having HTC Desire problems? For some time now I've had problems with it just re booting at will. It's been back to HTC once already and it's still doing it. So it's being picked up again tomorrow to go back to them.

If they don't sort it is there anything I can do? I registered the initial complaint before the 1 year warranty period was up. The fault wasn't rectified. Where do I stand on getting the fault sorted?

It's that bad It's putting me off getting another HTC again.

it is called bluebook, but watch out if you're doing anything you shouldn't, it keeps a track of your text messages (sent and recieved) unless you change the settings, a friend of mine got (deservedy) caught out when his other half found his history!

You had a bad experience with Apple then?

For me that post's just a load of sh*** mate. You're saying Apple's dominance in the market is just down to marketing? really? I can't see that at all mainly because after all these years of making computers, macbooks and now phones people simply wouldn't buy the products if they were unrealiable and not worth while. My experience of Apple is that they are a really great brand and deserve their place at the top of the market. I haven't got an iphone or a Mac but I wish I had both, when I upgraded my phone I got a HTC but my brother got an Iphone and I've regretted it since. In terms of texting and ringing people that's no different but for me the extras like the app market, quality of videos and itunes is so much better than HTC or the Android market IMO. I used Mac throughout my degree and for me they're streets ahead of a other makes and models for me. Even down to visiting their shop was spot on. Marketing helps and having a good marketing team can, of course, count for sales and it's a great tool for any company but technological companies rely more on people's opinion of their products to encourage additional sales not just marketing.

No, no really bad experience. Apple's products are all high quality don't get me wrong. I just think after using a few of them that they are always overpriced and don't do anything you can't get on other platforms for much less, yet they market them so well that most believe they are futuristic wonders of the world. An awful lot of iphone owners will come out with statements like "Why didn't you get an iphone, they are the best phone ever?" You ask why and they can't give you a proper answer. Which HTC did you get out of interest as I would have the top end HTC's above the iphone in pretty much every category. The software on the iphone is showing it's age, you can't customise it, you can't install stuff Apple don't want you to, it's social network integration is very poor, you can't use widgets to present key information on the home screen and even it's media capabilities are nothing special on it now as all the Android phones have media players that are at least as good. The app store and itunes are also rapidly being caught up with by the android equivalents and the vast majority of apps and games are now made for all the big app stores.

I'm working with a mobile phone retailer at the moment and they hate the iphone. Expensive to start with and they give them more problems and customer complaints than any other due to their lack of suitability as a business device. Yet they are pretty much the only phone being requested these days, as all the staff have the same preconceptions about how much 'better' iphones are.

I ended up getting the Wildfire so I know I'm the 'lower' end of the HTC phones and I'm still very happy with it and it was only financial reasons which led me to that and not the Iphone tbh. A mate of mine has the Desire and he loves it, I've used that occasionally to test run it and I'm not overly impressed really, maybe that's because I'm not using it regular. I'm just speaking from experience the Apple products I've used I think they're streets ahead, I used Macs in Uni, almost everyday, for three years and in comparison to a PC they're much better I think and having used the HTC and Android market I still the IPhone and App markets are much much better. They are catching up but even apps that are available in both forms are still inferior on Android, I've got the Racing Post app on both my Ipod and phone and it runs much better and is a much better app for the Ipod than the Android one, it's getting better and it's not a million miles away but from my own experience I prefer the Iphone and the App store than Android.

The Android 2.3 gingerbread update for the HD is now available, i've just done ours so we'll see how it goes.

Im currently using Gingerbread with a custom rom, the battery life on my Desire has improved amazingly.

Last charge laster 35 hours, and only died as i was recorded videos while on the mountain bike.

Got gingerbread on HTC desire s and battery is pretty good so far, although that is a smaller phone than the HD. I'm going to flatten the battery then give it a good charge see what we get.

Finally got the 2.3 update for my Desire HD, it seems to have added 25% to my battery life.

Not sure if to get a Blackberry Curve 8520 or a Nokia C3. My current phone is a LG Cookie but I seriously need a better phone. I don't know why I got the LG in the first place

Any tips

My Mrs has got the 8520 and I have the 3g version (9300), they are great phones.

How much is 1GB of internet usage? Looking at getting an iphone, and the offer with 3 is £29 for the phone inc 1gb of internet a month - but for using twitter, ebay, bbc, sky sports apps etc, would that be enough each month or would i end up going over that usage by looking at/using those apps everyday?

I'm on that deal with one of my phones and I download apps, have self-updating apps running and am constantly on the internet and I've never gone over the limit. I'm using about 850mb a month. That is with an Android phone, I'm not sure if there is a big difference with an iphone, I'd doubt it.

Obviously I use Wi-Fi where possible and always at home. Good thing with 3 is they will send you a notification that you are approaching the limit, and you can check it via 'my 3' from your phone so there is little risk of accidentally running up a bill.

I think unlimited is only £5 extra isn't it? I've found 3 are very willing to negotiate with bolt ons if you ring up and moan about them.

Yeah, it;s only an extra fiver for unlimited but the cost of the phone jumps up £50 too on that plan, so thought if 1GB is enough, i can save the fiver a month and the 50 quid difference in the cost of the phone.

I find for general use it's fine i.e. viewing a few of you tube vids, facebook, twitter, etc, occasional music streaming. If you're thinking of streaming a lot of music or video you'll go through it pretty quickly though.

Yeah, that's all i'd be using it for each month really, and the odd song from itunes, but wouldn't be using it for downloading/streaming other music or watching video other than thru youtube.

Just make sure you use your WiFi for all downloads where possible and you'll be fine. I get 500mb on 3 and never go over and I'm always on Facebook at work where there's no WiFi!!!

Aye Wifi is the key, i stupidly downloaded some apps at home thinking the wifi was on...



Only gone slightly over this month, costing me a huge £1.002

[url=http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/what-does-500mb-or-1gb-internet-actually-mean-explaining-mobile-data-limitsThis gives a good summary of data usage on mobiles[/url

1gb is plenty for 'normal' Smartphone use, social networks, emails, odd couple of minute videos on youtube etc.

Phone contract is up and looking to move to a smartphone.

Ideally I would have liked the HTC HD but it will cost too much per month.

So I am thinking the next best options will be either the HTC Desire S or the Galaxy S2. Which of these is better and are there are any others I should consider?

Thanks

Without a moment's hesitation the Galaxy S2 of those two, its the pretty much the best smartphone out there right now and I include the iphone in that. Although, if you like the HTC's better build quality and Sense UI, the HTC Sensation is very nearly at the same level as the S2, it has a new updated version of Sense and a better screen if you read alot of text (the S2 is better for images and arguably video). The HTC is only available on Voda at the moment but will be on other networks this coming month.

Both have a dual core processor, can film in '1080p' hd and have 8mp cameras if you like that sort of thing.