I'm going to do a "total review" First off, I'll start with my impressions regarding the way ATT handles the launch of their non iPhone devices. I'll start by saying that I've had both a Samsung Focus S and now have the HTC Titan. I am entirely disappointed with how ATT handles their releases of non Apple devices. It's pathetic, in simplest of terms. I feel like ATT is completely disconnected from their user base, and works more on brand marketing, rather than letting the user have a great phone experience. Between Manufacturers branding their phones with proprietary programs, design, etc. We also have to deal with the Retailers putting their badge on the phone, splash screens (useless btw), and their crappy apps. I would very much like to find a way around these, and I'm curious if Chevron can remove any of the junk installed on the phone from the Retailers.
Anyways, onto my ATT concerns. Followed up by my actual Hardware review.
1. My phone did not come assembled. The back was not attached to the phone, and one of the antenna in the bottom lower portion of the body was slightly bent due to the fact that the phone was not assembled upon arrival. I had to put the plate back on.
2. There were no headphones. The retail box version includes headphones. All other phones come with headphones, and the Focus S actually comes with in ear headphones and tips. I dont understand why ATT would remove this, as it is apart of the cost of the phone, regardless of how much of it was subsidized.
3. I'm really tired of ATT modifying the box contents, and glass of the phones, as well as removing features they do not want. In this case, I am upset that iPhone gets to rule the roost and release their phones in the original boxing with zero branding from ATT. However, my phone is littered with ATT junk ware (that can be removed) a crappy ATT load screen, and the removal of awesome features, such as the green color.
(Side note: The phone has Lime, and Green. Did WP7 include both of those? I thought they only included 1 green color on my SFocusS.)
-Actual phone impressions
--I love the phone. It's great. It's a beast. I've nicknamed it "The Kraken". It's totally deserving of that name. The screen can be pixelated at times, especially when you're viewing thin circles, though the more I use the phone the less I even noticed it. The 198~PPI becomes less of an issue over time, as I have found a "sweet spot" distance when viewing the phone.
-Screen
--Gorgeous. That's about all I can say. It has excellent color reproduction, and does not over-saturate like the Focus S did. I love the size.
-Construction
--When I first got the phone, I was a bit scared, as I've never had an aluminum phone. However, once I got to mess with it, and hold it, I realize that I have a great piece of hardware. The phone is sturdy. It performs.
-Internals
--The OS is flawless with the 1.5ghz processor. You'll notice that specific apps have poor coding, and not so much the actual OS. Everything is buttery smooth. I really enjoy it, and the overclocked CPU only helps. Dual core, need not apply until games catch up.
-Antenna
--The jury is still out. In my house, I get about 1-3 bars of 4g. Out about town, I can see 3-4 bars. I've yet to see 5 bars in a consistent manner. I have noticed, that if I put pressure on the lower left portion of the phone near one of the main antennas, my bars will raise slightly. This could however be from a contact issue, as one of them appears to be bent. This is slightly frustrating to me, as I do not want to have to return this phone while I wait for another to ship out to me.
The biggest culprit for this complaint is that shortly after purchasing the phone I went to a local Wal-Mart about 1-2 minutes from the ATT store. While inside of the Wal-Mart, I had access to Emergency Only calls. In addition, has anyone else noticed that the phone, when started, sits on Emergency Only calls for approximately 30 seconds to a minute before it finds the network?
-Sound
--I'm extremely please with the sound quality of the device. The built in options make the phone far more desirable than the Focus S. I was very disappointed with the sound options, as it was very heavy on the highs, and had zero lows to be found. In addition, the Focus S had a popping noise when skipping tracks. This does not though, which is great.
-Battery
--What a monster. I've owned the phone for approximately 2 days now, and I've had to charge it twice after extremely heavy usage. When I take it off the charger the algorithm (which has not fully set in yet) states that it has 1 day 17 hours or so of charge remaining. As of right now, I am looking at 25% Battery remaining, with a Time last charged of 25 hours, with 11 hours remaining. In 5% I am going to be switching over to battery saver, which will eek me another estimated 1-2 hours, bringing me to about 35 hours with light use from here on out.
I'm rocking 15-35 minute push on my email and such, and overall this battery has run absolute circles around my Focus S, and I think once it gets it algorithm in line and adjusted with a few more discharges, it will give my iPhone4 a complete run for it's money.
-Verdict
--The phone is awesome, and if I had to score it 1-10, I would easily give the phone an 8.5. The antenna right now is my biggest concern, but it just might be a bit of bad luck and being somewhat hyper sensitive towards it.
Additional question. Has anyone tried hooking the phone up to a Microcell? I noticed that on my Focus S, the Microcell destroyed it's battery, and upon removing it from the MC, it drained a bit slower than previously. Does anyone have any input on a Titan on Microcell? Thanks!
Hope you enjoyed my mish-mash review! If anyone would like me to make an actual post out of this, PM me and I'll do so.
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