HTC Mozart WinPho 7 smartphone Of the three models from HTC for the launch of Windows Phone 7, the Mozart is the one with the 8Mp camera – a step up from the 5Mp snappers embedded in its brethren. HTC 7 Mozart Smartphone sonata: HTC's Mozart The casing is largely aluminium, with a couple of matt plastic sections on the back for receivers/transmitters, …
I'm curious, did you notice any screen tearing on this handset? The same screen tearing issue seems to be affecting most (if not all) HTC WP7 handsets. I'm about to take receipt of my third HD7 from HTC today. The first was repaired twice and the second exhibits the issue straight out of the box. They're promising the third will be issue-free.
HTC can't decide whether this is hardware of software at fault. Some people at HTC suggest a MS-provided software fix will be released soon (separate from the OS update); whilst others suggest it's a loose chip on the PCB. I've been to a few phone shops locally and almost all show the issue, some more than others.
A quick Google will show many users of different HTC WP7 handsets reporting this issue, with some YouTube videos too.
It's easy to make this issue stand out by changing the theme to purple with a black background. The tearing can be noticed on the home page tiles (they turn blue on the top and bottom edges when scrolling). Over time, this becomes much worse until the display completely refuses to render properly.
...where to begin?... You see, one of the things that Android phones sorely lack is a proper integrated music/video service. iOS has iTunes, WP7 has Zune, Android has a mess. Sure, you can torrent stuff, use Double Twist, use Amazon MP3, etc. but it's a disjointed hassle. Now try using Zune. For £7.50 a month, you get all the music you can shake a stick at, and you get 10 songs to keep. To put that in perspective, those same 10 songs on iTunes would cost £7.90, and you'd get nothing extra. With Zune, I just download whole albums, listen to them as many times as I like, and if I decide after a while that I actually only like a few of the songs, I can bin the rest 'cos they didn't cost me anything to start with. And if I want more, I just go to the marketplace, and drag and drop a couple more albums onto the phone icon... It's that easy.
Secondly, as you should be aware by now, there is no fragmentation with WP7, and no waiting around while your manufacturer decides whether it is going to bother releasing the new OS upgrades to you. If you buy a WP7 phone, you know that it is going to have access to Microsoft's updates when they're released - because the manufacturer of a WP7 device doesn't need to customize the OS, whereas the Android manufacturer needs to add custom drivers etc. and do its own testing to make sure the update doesn't brick their phones.
Thirdly, when you buy Android, there is no minimum spec for manufacturers, which means that there are some very cheap Android phones out there, but also some very crappy ones (resistive touchscreens and 2mp cameras, etc). When you buy WP7, you know that the minimum spec is very decent (capacitive screen, 5mp camera, etc.). (incidentally, it is also possible to replace the built-in memory on a WP7 phone, it just requires a Torx screwdriver set... but hey, it's easier than trying to upgrade the memory on an iPhone...)
I could also go on about the advantages of xbox live integration, and the fact that the WP7 app ecosystem is waaaaay more advanced than Android was after 3 months, but I'll stop there, because you can see the point. There are just some things that WP7 does better than Android, and for some of us, those things are what matters.
Are there advantages that Android has over WP7? Of course (tethering, USB storage, etc. could be very handy). BUT, do those advantages outweigh the deficiencies of Android? Nope. A simple look at the stats will tell you that customer satisfaction ratings for each OS will tell you that WP7 users are a lot happier with their devices.
Why was a phone that's not really exceptional and that is crippled with lack of memory and an infant operating system given a high score of 80%?
Your favourite zune marketplace is a sideshow to the main event; the phone itself. Not that it's relevant to people with a large collection of MP3 files.
As ever, you're missing the point that Windog7 is still a version 1 product that's missing all the basics and includes all the 1st generation bugs -- just where is the promised service pack??? Not to mention the availability of applications is rather limited in comparison with Android and iOS.
So in summary, buy a Windog for the zune marketplace. Hmm.
@Phil Hare 2 - "Here I was thinking it was listening to and watching media from wherever I damn well please."
Yeah, that's not the point, tho, is it? You can "listen to and watch media from wherever you please" on WP7 just as easily as you can on Android (e.g. when you install Zune, it auto-detects all your movies and music, and imports playlists from iTunes etc. and if you get stuff from other sources later, Zune can find that too). It's just that the Zune Pass makes getting new media a much smoother (not to mention cheaper, assuming your content is legit) experience.
@Wibble ...funny how you're always reading and commenting on WP7 stories, despite the fact that you don't own one... just sayin'.
Not only have I never used one, I've never even seen one being used. I would have thought that after 4 months I would have seen someone on a train, in the office, or even in a shop, but no.
Nothing wrong with looking at alternatives to the established iPhone & Android. Just wondering what Microsoft will botch up next given that they've had a decade to develop something new. Pity they chose to sit on their laurels - ooh, we're the market leader so lets not bother with this innovation malarkey.
OK, it's rather perverse, but I'm relishing in watching Microsoft's slow-speed train-wreck. I wonder how long it will be until there's a revolution in Microsoft and the tired leadership get ousted - I suppose we'll have to watch out for the MS web going down when Bill visits;-)
Yeah, that's all great. But my point was that AC was suggesting that Android is a disjointed mess, when actually that's not true. My Galaxy S plays all the media I want it to, in a variety of different ways and from any source up to and including direct from the web. WinPho7 can probably do all that too, but let's not try and put Android down on false pretenses.
I see Windows Mobile 7 as being viable after an update or two. The initial release is simply so behind other platforms that it should be avoided like the plague. Once it gets those updates and when MS rolls out it's tablet strategy etc. it might be a more attractive proposition.
Even so, I think I would always be averse to it simply because MS are following in Apple's footprints. Thick client for syncing, tight control of 3rd party apps, limited choice of phone models. Every indication is that they want a walled garden / golden cage and I see no reason I should step into that world. Why should I when Android is here, more mature and more widespread.
The problem with differentiation is especially bad. Android phones come in all shapes and sizes - mini ones, ones with keyboards, el cheapo resistive models, high spec ones etc. Phones to suit all tastes and pockets. By contrast Windows Mobile phones are all pretty much the same size, the same form factor, the same end experience - the uniformity and lack of imagination so far is pretty depressing.
So called fragmentation may well annoy lazier developers, customers love it. Presumably Microsoft are actively seeking lazy developers...
Locking down the UI so tightly means those of us that look at WM7 and thing 'fugly' are never going to buy in. The deluded few that like that look can already make their Android's look boring with WM7 widgets (one of the saddest apps yet). Meanwhile the bulk of the herd will find all the conformity they want on the oh-so pretty iPhone.
I'll carry on being grateful I can by a damn good phone (Orange San Francisco) for £80 safe knowing I can customise all the Orange branding crapware out of it. £300 still in my wallet and a phone I'm free to customise - remind me why fragmentation is supposed to be a problem for *customers*?
Example #1
I have HTC EVO 4G with the system starting with A, ver2.2. And I cannot find where it is sluggish.
Ok, I have four more EVO on my family plan - no complains from other family members.
Example #2
A phone from ANY phone manufacturer with the system starting with A and 500/600/700MHz CPU...
I do not think I should explain that even GREAT WP7 will be sluggish on such hardware. ;-)
You'll be surprised. informing customers changing contracts informing shareholders,regulators, bespoke information system updates. There's a lot more in it than the technology.
There's seems to be a lot of bashing of anything that is not open and free for all from a lot of other responders on reg, doesn't get a boring for you guys to be bitter all the time? this is why Managers love to lock IT guys in cupboards next to server room where they can grow their hair and moan at anything that makes their job seem simple.
Im saying this as an IT guy with knowledge of business and the real world
I got the 16GB Mozart back in October (T-Mobile branded). It looks like the memory size is down to the carrier.
On the T-Mobile Mozart, I got the Navigon Select (the same that T-Mobile/Deutsche Telekom have been offering with the iPhone since the 3G came out).
I haven't seen any tearing, but it does sometimes stutters when playing the new mail tone, when in stand-by mode.
The sound quality is well above that of my iPhone 3GS and I much prefer using the htc 7 Mozart to my iPhone - the iPhone with iOS 4 is a pig, WP7 reminds me of what attracted me to the iPhone in the first place. I find the tile interface refreshing and easy to use.
It is very sensitive to poor signal. When I am in the cellar, it eats the battery at about twice the rate of the iPhone, but if I leave them in the kitchen, they both decrease at about the same rate - I usually get about a day and a half out of the batteries on both devices, unless I play a lot of games.
I tried a few Android devices, including the Desire, but they never really appealed to me.
Thanks, Dave.
I just took delivery of my third replacement HD7. This one is a straight-from-the-factory job, sans o2 branding (and any UK localisation for that matter) and it too has the same issue, although not as bad as the other too. I really believe this to be a hardware issue as all the software builds have been the same and the severity of the issue varies from device to device.
Thanks again for taking a look.
I can't offer you benchmark figures, but from using the HD7 since before Christmas, I can say the UI is as fast as you could ever want it to me. Not once have I seen it lag or jerk and exiting out of programmes back to the UI is also instantaneous - although this might have something to do with the fact the OS doesn't need to deal with multitasking yet.
The only place where speed becomes an issue is loading individual apps. Games in particular take a long time to load, but I understand the imminent update addresses this.
I strongly suggest having a play with a handset in your phone vendor retailer of choice.
An 8GB MicroSD card (which is what these things have, buried under some plastic and tape, and protected by some screws) costs £12. A 16GB card costs £17. That's at retail, after delivery. What it means, is that HTC could've given its customers 100% more storage, for 1% more on the price.
And this is largely why I went for an Orange San Fran. HTC used to be good, but now they just treat their customers with contempt.
WP7 uses the SD Card differently from other OSs in that it integrates it straight into the main memory. In doing so, it utilises the S part of SD in that it's secure (somehow).
With regards to HTC treating their customers with contempt, I don't believe they do so because of the SD card issue as it's dictated by MS, but having recently dealt with what HTC call 'customer service', I definitely agree that they hate their customers.
I have had the HTC mozart since 22nd Dec of last year, i broke on the 6th of Feb. I proceeded to take it to the store in which i have the contract only to be told that they had never seen the fault and that the software had completely crashed. The phone cannot turn on and crashes when trying to do so. Before this updates for apps also failed to load. the HTC mozart is a fantastic phone, although this unexplained problem has put me off, also the first person i talked to was explaining how the outer shell of his was easily broken.
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