Volcano.Newts.Org - Personal Gadgets

HTC EVO vs Samsung Moment

nospam@example.com (Johnathan Vail) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:47:07 -0700

I got an EVO this week after using the Moment since it came out last November. I had only had it for a few hours when it asked if I wanted 2.2 Froyo and of course I said yes. Now that I have had it for a few days I would like to share some comments.

First let me say that the Moment has an intrinsic defect in the way they implemented the CDMA or maybe in the hardware itself. The defect causes the phone to go offline for data and voice until you reset it. Sometimes it displays "Airplane Mode" and sometimes an X on the signal bars but the immediate symptom is the data up-arrow display gets stuck. The condition is often referred to as the "airplane mode bug" or the "Up Arrow Of Death".

After it became clear that this bug was not going to be fixed (the CL14 and the 2.1 updates did nothing) and the Moment is now on closeout I started working with Sprint to get a new phone and long story short, I now have the EVO. (I had to jump through their hoops and be persistent but I finally found the right person in Sprint who did an excellent job taking care of me).

My impressions:

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HELP HELP! I am being OPPRESSED!

nospam@example.com (Johnathan Vail) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:34:28 -0700

One of the moderators invited people to complain about the delay in fixing the bugs and upgrading the Samsung Moment so I obliged with a small rant. I didn't think it was that bad. Apparently I said something they didn't like:

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New Canon SX20 Camera

nospam@example.com (Johnathan Vail) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:20:20 -0700

One of the first pics from the camera, automatic default out of the box settings.

I wanted a better camera than my pocket point-and-shoot and but I am wary about spending tons of money to get back into the SLR game. Back in the film days I found I rarely used my SLR in favor of a point-and-shoot so I didn't that to happen again. At the same time I do want some aperture control and better zoom and video capabilities.

I recently discovered "bridge" cameras...
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Motorola Renegade V950 Review and Comparison to Sanyo 7050

nospam@example.com (Johnathan Vail) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:17:00 -0700

You can Google for the specs but this new batwing fone appeared to be the best merger of the Sprint and Nextel. A cross between a Razr style and the iDen durability. It was enough I decided to replace my Sanyo SCP-7050.

The Sanyo was my first non Nextel CDMA phone for many years and I figured Nextel was being absorbed, I wasn't using Direct Connect any more and the first and only Bluetooth phone at the time, the i610, didn't play well in Hands Free mode with the Prius I would try a Japanese phone. Like the iDens 7050 was Mil spec for dust, vibration, etc. It was supposed to be faster for data and I traded off a larger more crisp display for one of the few sunlight readable displays out there.

The 7050 has been a great phone and works with the Prius and most other devices. The battery life is amazing with about two days normal use before charging even though I normally charge it every night. Even after 18 months of daily use the battery is not showing any signs of age. The audio was crisp and the display was bright and readable although not as good in the sun as the i600 was. The only real deficiency was the inability to transfer pictures with bluetooth except as part of a contact.

The GPS worked great with the Sprint Navigation which I used for one vacation and several smaller trips as well as checking traffic and stuff. It actually worked well for a small device.

And speaking of pictures it has no camera. Not that the cameras are that good but everyone else has one and my plan includes it but I couldn't use it.

So now enter the Renegade V950. Bluetooth, rugged, GPS, nice display, flip and a 2 megapixel camera. It also does Sprint TV and radio and plays MP3s. Looks like it has everything and the reviews were good although several mentioned the battery life sucked although there is a larger battery available. It also has a micro SD chip and micro USB for pictures and music.

My first impressions are very favorable. It has a lot of features and the speaker quality for the MP3s is better than expected. The size is great and it feels very nice in the hand. Audio quality is good. The Cons include some problems downloading apps and it hung up once and had to have the battery removed (is there a reset sequence?).

Oh yeh, to the comment about the battery life sucking I would add "On Ice!". It has so many features it really does suck down the juice. I can't get a get a full day out of it with normal use where normal use is maybe 5 minutes talk, a dozen texts, some browsing for a couple minutes and maybe a picture. Add video and MP3 and watching TV and it is much worse. I have bluetooth and Direct Connect on which uses more power but still, it is not acceptable for normal use with the current battery.

Some more specific comparisons:

Feel: 950 feels nice although I like the 7050 as well. In general I prefer "real" handsets over smaller toy phones.

Browsing and Download Speed: The 950 is MUCH faster. 3G really is nice.

TV, Radio: The video quality kind of sucks but it works and with the free content it is fun. I like it but I haven't been tempted to get premium shows.

Music: It plays your MP3s well and you can buy music very quickly and easily. It has a 2.5mm headset jack so you need an adaptor for normal headphones. This is a fail but I either use it with the speaker for convenience or bluetooth which works well.

Now for the specifics on the Renegade:

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