I am connected!
Dec. 3rd, 2011 03:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hoveringsombreroIf you're in my circles on the Google Positives, this is a repost, but this will contain the phone pictures from the gallery all in a row, so that might be easier to see.
If you did not know, I have been without a mobile device since August, I left Josh's t-mobile account and ported my number to Google Voice. I've been fine without such a thing for a while, but the last few weeks before Thanksgiving, it suddenly started getting to me. So talked to the boyperson at length about alternatives to the $300 phone that I previously had wanted, and he found me links to sales and I decided to try to get the Wildfire S for $99 from Best Buy.
I have kept my number with Google Voice, since that app is working wonderfully with Android, and I've had no complaints at all about that use, the app is brilliant and it works seamlessly with the phone so that I don't even have to think about it to make sure I'm sending messages and calling with MY number. I went with Virgin Mobile as my provider, and it's only been a few weeks but I have no complaints about them, $35/mo no contract is brilliant, and signing up was super easy and painless.
I love nearly everything about the device, itself, not so much the Sense UI, but I'll get into that in a moment. The display is brilliant, its response time is snappy as fuck, and though smaller than other phones I'd been eyeing, I like that it fits in my hand better.
The small size causes a little problem with the menu buttons at the bottom while texting/messaging. It's easy to accidentally hit the back and home buttons, but I'm getting used to it.
The camera is really great, it has a flash and it takes amazing pictures in complete darkness within about 4 feet from the object. The face detection thing to help you focus amuses the hell out of me because it even recognises kitty faces!
The HTC Sense interface atop Android is largely bullshit. It's pointless, clunky branding, and it's taking up so much space/memory that I have to play musical chairs with my apps every time there's an update to anything, sometimes I have to even delete and re-add apps after, in order to apply needed updates.
The above was expected and otherwise would have been a dealbreaker, except for the fact that I BOUGHT A TINY COMPUTER AND THIS CAN BE CHANGED! Well, eventually.
The boyperson spent a great deal of time with it last night and pretty easily got it rooted, but Cyanogen would just plain not install, so I'm going to have to wait a bit before I can rid myself of the Sense bullshit entirely.
One last note about the software side, OMG I LOVE SWYPE, of course I won't have to give that up when I move to Cyanogen, but just wanted to note my love for that keyboard. I'd played with it a little on the girlperson's fon, but hadn't spent enough time with it to LEARN it until my own device, and once I got into it, it's great. Drawing words just really appeals to how my brain works.
Now, the case, this did not come with the device, this is aftermarket, purchased from eBay. I had gotten a case like this when I thought I was going to get the Samsung Galaxy, so once I got this guy I immediately ordered one to fit him. I've had flip (or "clamshell") style devices for so long, that again, this is something that just FITS in my brain, the flip action. PLUS, I WILL DROP the phone, I already scuffed it in a few places before the case arrived, and although what I spent on it is CHEAP for this level of phone, it's still an expensive device for me and I want to protect it against my own spazzyness as much as possible.
I did have to shave down the inside hard bit of the case though, the seller billed it as for the Wildfire S, but it appears as though it had been shaved a bit before, and was possibly originally a wildfire case, they just didn't shave it enough. It took a little work but it fits perfectly now, and for an under $4/free shipping purchase, I'm still fine with that.
Conclusion, the device is solid, the build is sturdy, my only annoyances should be able to be corrected when I can replace the OS. I love the little bugger!
If you did not know, I have been without a mobile device since August, I left Josh's t-mobile account and ported my number to Google Voice. I've been fine without such a thing for a while, but the last few weeks before Thanksgiving, it suddenly started getting to me. So talked to the boyperson at length about alternatives to the $300 phone that I previously had wanted, and he found me links to sales and I decided to try to get the Wildfire S for $99 from Best Buy.
I have kept my number with Google Voice, since that app is working wonderfully with Android, and I've had no complaints at all about that use, the app is brilliant and it works seamlessly with the phone so that I don't even have to think about it to make sure I'm sending messages and calling with MY number. I went with Virgin Mobile as my provider, and it's only been a few weeks but I have no complaints about them, $35/mo no contract is brilliant, and signing up was super easy and painless.
I love nearly everything about the device, itself, not so much the Sense UI, but I'll get into that in a moment. The display is brilliant, its response time is snappy as fuck, and though smaller than other phones I'd been eyeing, I like that it fits in my hand better.
The small size causes a little problem with the menu buttons at the bottom while texting/messaging. It's easy to accidentally hit the back and home buttons, but I'm getting used to it.
The camera is really great, it has a flash and it takes amazing pictures in complete darkness within about 4 feet from the object. The face detection thing to help you focus amuses the hell out of me because it even recognises kitty faces!
The HTC Sense interface atop Android is largely bullshit. It's pointless, clunky branding, and it's taking up so much space/memory that I have to play musical chairs with my apps every time there's an update to anything, sometimes I have to even delete and re-add apps after, in order to apply needed updates.
The above was expected and otherwise would have been a dealbreaker, except for the fact that I BOUGHT A TINY COMPUTER AND THIS CAN BE CHANGED! Well, eventually.
The boyperson spent a great deal of time with it last night and pretty easily got it rooted, but Cyanogen would just plain not install, so I'm going to have to wait a bit before I can rid myself of the Sense bullshit entirely.
One last note about the software side, OMG I LOVE SWYPE, of course I won't have to give that up when I move to Cyanogen, but just wanted to note my love for that keyboard. I'd played with it a little on the girlperson's fon, but hadn't spent enough time with it to LEARN it until my own device, and once I got into it, it's great. Drawing words just really appeals to how my brain works.
Now, the case, this did not come with the device, this is aftermarket, purchased from eBay. I had gotten a case like this when I thought I was going to get the Samsung Galaxy, so once I got this guy I immediately ordered one to fit him. I've had flip (or "clamshell") style devices for so long, that again, this is something that just FITS in my brain, the flip action. PLUS, I WILL DROP the phone, I already scuffed it in a few places before the case arrived, and although what I spent on it is CHEAP for this level of phone, it's still an expensive device for me and I want to protect it against my own spazzyness as much as possible.
I did have to shave down the inside hard bit of the case though, the seller billed it as for the Wildfire S, but it appears as though it had been shaved a bit before, and was possibly originally a wildfire case, they just didn't shave it enough. It took a little work but it fits perfectly now, and for an under $4/free shipping purchase, I'm still fine with that.
Conclusion, the device is solid, the build is sturdy, my only annoyances should be able to be corrected when I can replace the OS. I love the little bugger!
