Why did YOU buy your Radar?

[anodynamic]

I wanted to switch to WP7 for a while (had a Sony Ericsson Vivaz - nice little phone but Symbian on a non-Nokia device, without OVI access, was not an optimal situation). So, when the old contract started to run out I was drooling over the Lumia 800 while waiting for it to be released. Then the test started showing up, along with reports about bad audio quality that even the Nokia fanboys seemed unable to defend...

So, since music is important to me I decided to go for something cheaper with a shorter contract while waiting for the Apollo generation, and since the Lumia 710 still had to show up at that point was down to the Radar and the Omnia W. Reviews seemed to give the Radar slightly better remarks on audio quality, and I've always liked the build quality of HTC phones I've handled so I went with that since I couldn't find a store in town where I could fondle the phones before buying.

Overall I'm happy with the choice. The audio quality turned out to be more than decent, for one, and the build is solid. The camera is the only thing that really disappointed me. It's good enough for Facebook and such, but not much more.

 

[freestaterocker]

Some Phase Two moments....

The absence of Audible is a real problem. I was using it daily and there's simply no substitute. Ironically, Audible hasn't created an app for the BB 9900 yet either, but the 9700 version works, although the onscreen font is tiny, so I'm using it for now.

On the subject of fine print, the absence of text reflow in Mango may well be a deal-breaker. I didn't expect this. At 58, I don't want to have to squint to see things in the browser, but that's what I'm doing. The irony here is that one of the attractions of the Radar is the larger screen, but the BB 9900 screen is actually wider, and it lets me choose a large default browser font, reflowing web text to fill the screen in that size. The end result is generally very readable without constant scrolling.

WP needs to get this. Maybe the Tango update?

To me, there are two places where the "rubber meets the road" in a smartphone. One is the keyboard. Obviously, hardware keyboards are a whole other matter, but touch keyboards can vary too. I think the Radar has a good keyboard, but it would be desirable to have a few other options, such as Swype, or something similar.

I noticed that if I type in a word and then hit <space> twice, it inserts a period and a space, as BB does. This is good. But if I use predictive text, it doesn't work. A space after the word appears, and hitting <space> again doesn't produce a period. Not so good. These little details count.

You can eliminate the automatic spacing after a corrected word. Settings>keyboard>typing settings>English tap to change

 

[ubizmo]

You can eliminate the automatic spacing after a corrected word. Settings>keyboard>typing settings>English tap to change

I have no problem with the automatic spacing after a corrected word. What I'd like to see is a period/full stop added if I enter another space after such a word, just as it does with a regular non-corrected word. I shouldn't have to enter a period manually for corrected words.

 

[denSMSgt]

Mostly love this little phone!

I'm totally THAT guy, a phone swapper based on my mood. I currently have iPhone 4, Nexus S, GSM Galaxy Nexus, Pre 2, and I'm taking a Galaxy Note on a test-drive. I like iOS, Android (though it's buggiest of ALL), webOS, and WP7- they all have their merits. Wish I could grab the best features/hardware of all and craft my own device.

I had previously picked up a used Focus last year and liked it. Multitasking was of course missing as was copy/paste as we all know, help has arrived in that department. Thankfully I had a squaretrade warranty on the Focus because the sim-slot went kaput and they just paid me the purchase price for the phone.

I picked up the Radar for a few reasons initially:

-Size
-Colour
-HTC build materials/quality
-T-Mo USA HSPA+ Frequencies

I ended up liking it more once I started using the Radar.

The camera button=win. I would constantly bump in on the Focus and it would drive me crazy launching the camera at the tiniest touch of that button.

Build quality really is nice overall. The bottom sim cover is a bit hoky, and non-removable battery part is a bit of a downer, but battery life is a WIN.

Multitasking is getting there but there are just several iOS/Android Apps I miss (It's cheesy but words with friends comes to mind).

So here is the BIGGEST DOWNER I just did to myself today with Radar...
TMO just gave me the unlock code, sweet right? I threw evil at&t sim in, phone came up, HSPA+ frequencies etc. Tethering BLOCKED. No biggie, I know at&t are jerks about it, I hadn't planned to tether anyway, but wanted to know if it would work. When I put my TMO sim back in I still get the big at&t F-U "To enable tethering on this device go to att.com/mywireless or dial 611". WT_??? It's very rare that I use the wifi tethering, but every now and then it's nice to have. I think I'm about 3 weeks into my month and I've only used 410MB of data. I cannot believe that at&t screwed me out of tethering on another carrier just by putting their sim in my newly unlocked Radar. I wonder if doing a reset of the phone will work. It'll nuke my settings and stuff, but maybe it'll fix the big at&t c_ _ _-block.

Rant complete (mostly). Let's get some more WP7 apps and life should be better still!

Smile y'all,

dennis

UPDATE: Phone reset from settings menu fixed the at&t tethering f-u! W00T!

 

[speedtouch]

......

It'll nuke my settings and stuff, but maybe it'll fix the big at&t c_ _ _-block.

Rant complete (mostly). Let's get some more WP7 apps and life should be better still!

Smile y'all,

dennis

Spoken like a true SMSgt! I used to be an A1C and I *ran* when I saw your chevrons coming around the corner (just as I know you did when you were an A1C). LOL! Thanks for serving.

 

[denSMSgt]

Spoken like a true SMSgt! I used to be an A1C and I *ran* when I saw your chevrons coming around the corner (just as I know you did when you were an A1C). LOL! Thanks for serving.

Thanks Rob, and likewise, even if for not super-long, for your service too. I'm just a big kid/teddy-bear, so not your typical stomp guts out Senior. You know you've messed up bad if I turn into that guy!

One thing I forgot to mention on the PRO side of the house is PRICE. This really is a great little phone for the price.

I just love gadgets and tech. The more quality competition the better! It's funny in the PC realm I prefer OS X but at least Win 7 is what vista (hurl) should have been! On the mobile side of the house though, Apple was (IMO) the first quality OS/user experience but all have really finally improved. The only one of the big players I still can't stand is blackberry.

Here's to better competition forcing quality!

Smile,

d

 

[freshairr]

Just joined the family last night.

I chose it because I'm on T-Mobile and previously had an iPhone 3GS with it (stuck with Edge) and really wanted to try out the WP family. I first considered importing the Lumia 800, but I wanted to utilize HSPA+ and it of course lacks the AWS band.

So it was between the Lumia 710 and the Radar, and I felt the thinness + the capacitive buttons won me over. I'd love to get a Lumia in the future, hopefully when Apollo hits and their's support for T-Mobile.

 

[Michael Goff]

I wanted to get one, but my town is too small for tmobile.

Sent from my Titan using Board Express

 

[DogEarsAZ]

I dropped my DVP in the garage getting out of the car and the screen exploded, oops.

 

[Probaholic1]

For me it there was a few points.
-Wanted a phone that was a little more stylish than my Android (NS4G)
-Once I upgraded to ICS on my Nexus it got boring
-Lagged like crazy, really annoying
-Battery life sucks on Android
-Wanted to try a WP
-Physical Camera button
-Tmo had just released their prepaid $30 plan
-Paid only 170 for it on CL


Although, the one thing I miss is the NFC chip. Otherwise I'm okay