GilbertP23
06-02-2009, 09:16 PM
Originally posted on gilbertp.com (http://gilbertp.com/?p=20)
After what felt like an eternity, I finally got my hands on the HTC Dream from Rogers!
http://gilbertp.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/htc-dream.jpg
I got a sweet deal too as Rogers has reintroduced the 6gb/$30-month data plan. People from the States or with unlimited plans might not be impressed but this is the closest anyone can get to a good data plan with Rogers in Canada.
- The Phone -
This device is sweet! It offers 3 ways to navigate all the features on the phone: touchscreen, full keyboard and trackball. I got the white version, and its definitly an eye pleaser, not sure why people say the HTC Dream is ugly, perhaps its the just the G1 which i’ve never never seen in person.
The first thing you’ll notice on the phone is how quickly it boots up, the device turns on in less than 1 minute. In comparison to an iPhone or Blackberry that is insanely quick, I would dare say it turns on in 45 seconds, but I just got it and it may slow down as I add more apps. This is definitly appreciated and I that awesome!
- The Hardware -
The HTC Dream feels solid and is soooo smooth. It’s pearly white, in my case, and feels great in my hands. The keyboard is also great, however, playing some games I sometimes hit the wrong key due to the keys being very smooth and little small. I figure I just need to get accomodated more. Playing games on this is definitly better than on the iPhone, it has an accelorator and real keys which are crucial in tons of games; on-screen controls will never compare to real buttons.
Sound is amazing, the trackball is decent and the touchscreen is very good but not quite as responsive as the iPhone’s. Also, getting to the battery is a b**ch, but at least I know the back is securily on. I just wish it had a 3.5mm jack instead of a Mini-USB headset BUT this phone is compatible with bluetooth stereo headsets which helps this situation.
The phone charges with Mini-USB which is sweet! I have different chargers for devices at work and home and its great that I dont have to bring the included charger with me between the two places like I did the iPhone and any other device with a unique connector.
- Software -
Android is what’s happening here and the OS is awesome. It’s responsive and it really is something new to the cell phone game in terms of what it brings. Android is also completly opposite to what Apple does with it’s mobile version of OSX; Android is open and gives it’s user the power of choice while Apple tries to dictate what it thinks is right and if you don’t agree, look elsewhere (or jailbreak it).
The Market, so far, I have found to be somewhat confusing. It’s really packed to the brim with lots of apps, and it can be difficult to discen what they actually do. Theres a lot of trying and deleting happening right now, though luckily theres a rating and feedback for each app to help with the task. A great thing about Android is that you are not restricted to Market apps and are free to get compatible apps from any source and install them yourself.
Games are awesome and easy to use when compared to other cell phones, Android needs more users to get more developer support and it would be far beyond any other cell phone on the market and could even compete with portable consoles.
Where the heck is on-screen keyboard? For some reason Rogers removed this for the Cupcake firmware.. very odd and really no reason to do that.
Oh, I can’t forget to mention that text messages are threaded and will look like a chat session and that this version of the dream has Exchange support which will be awesome for Corporate customers.
- Overall -
This is the first time i’ve been so excited about a phone in a while. It has the messaging strength of a Blackberry (except BB Messenger) and many features that rival the iPhone’s. Being an iPhone owner for so long, the first time I got a GMail emailed pushed to me on this thing left me with a feeling of satisfaction. And then the first time that I received notifications from Twitter and a GTalk message while I was surfing the net, it brought a smile on my face as now I will be able to keep up with friends and co-workers without having to keep messaging apps on all day and not be able to use the other apps on the phone.
This is a must-buy for Canadians who have had to wait for Android phones to hit our shores.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally got my hands on the HTC Dream from Rogers!
http://gilbertp.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/htc-dream.jpg
I got a sweet deal too as Rogers has reintroduced the 6gb/$30-month data plan. People from the States or with unlimited plans might not be impressed but this is the closest anyone can get to a good data plan with Rogers in Canada.
- The Phone -
This device is sweet! It offers 3 ways to navigate all the features on the phone: touchscreen, full keyboard and trackball. I got the white version, and its definitly an eye pleaser, not sure why people say the HTC Dream is ugly, perhaps its the just the G1 which i’ve never never seen in person.
The first thing you’ll notice on the phone is how quickly it boots up, the device turns on in less than 1 minute. In comparison to an iPhone or Blackberry that is insanely quick, I would dare say it turns on in 45 seconds, but I just got it and it may slow down as I add more apps. This is definitly appreciated and I that awesome!
- The Hardware -
The HTC Dream feels solid and is soooo smooth. It’s pearly white, in my case, and feels great in my hands. The keyboard is also great, however, playing some games I sometimes hit the wrong key due to the keys being very smooth and little small. I figure I just need to get accomodated more. Playing games on this is definitly better than on the iPhone, it has an accelorator and real keys which are crucial in tons of games; on-screen controls will never compare to real buttons.
Sound is amazing, the trackball is decent and the touchscreen is very good but not quite as responsive as the iPhone’s. Also, getting to the battery is a b**ch, but at least I know the back is securily on. I just wish it had a 3.5mm jack instead of a Mini-USB headset BUT this phone is compatible with bluetooth stereo headsets which helps this situation.
The phone charges with Mini-USB which is sweet! I have different chargers for devices at work and home and its great that I dont have to bring the included charger with me between the two places like I did the iPhone and any other device with a unique connector.
- Software -
Android is what’s happening here and the OS is awesome. It’s responsive and it really is something new to the cell phone game in terms of what it brings. Android is also completly opposite to what Apple does with it’s mobile version of OSX; Android is open and gives it’s user the power of choice while Apple tries to dictate what it thinks is right and if you don’t agree, look elsewhere (or jailbreak it).
The Market, so far, I have found to be somewhat confusing. It’s really packed to the brim with lots of apps, and it can be difficult to discen what they actually do. Theres a lot of trying and deleting happening right now, though luckily theres a rating and feedback for each app to help with the task. A great thing about Android is that you are not restricted to Market apps and are free to get compatible apps from any source and install them yourself.
Games are awesome and easy to use when compared to other cell phones, Android needs more users to get more developer support and it would be far beyond any other cell phone on the market and could even compete with portable consoles.
Where the heck is on-screen keyboard? For some reason Rogers removed this for the Cupcake firmware.. very odd and really no reason to do that.
Oh, I can’t forget to mention that text messages are threaded and will look like a chat session and that this version of the dream has Exchange support which will be awesome for Corporate customers.
- Overall -
This is the first time i’ve been so excited about a phone in a while. It has the messaging strength of a Blackberry (except BB Messenger) and many features that rival the iPhone’s. Being an iPhone owner for so long, the first time I got a GMail emailed pushed to me on this thing left me with a feeling of satisfaction. And then the first time that I received notifications from Twitter and a GTalk message while I was surfing the net, it brought a smile on my face as now I will be able to keep up with friends and co-workers without having to keep messaging apps on all day and not be able to use the other apps on the phone.
This is a must-buy for Canadians who have had to wait for Android phones to hit our shores.