Help hero vs moment?

[methoderik]

gps on my moment works great.

Seriously? Like you have driven somewhere with the sprint Nav on turn by turn and it didn't go crazy on you?

I have had no luck with mine at all. We haven't tested my Wife's yet, will try this afternoon.

 

[quentinfisher]

It was just a joke, but seriously that thing is fast, fastest android phone I've used at least.

Edit: I will say the Moment is second though with the Hero behind it. Even if your not planning on getting the device I would still check it out if you want a preview of Android 2.0.

 

[Adrift]

It was just a joke, but seriously that thing is fast, fastest android phone I've used at least.

Edit: I will say the Moment is second though with the Hero behind it. Even if your not planning on getting the device I would still check it out if you want a preview of Android 2.0.

If I didn't like Sprint so much for their great plans, I would seriously consider going with Verizon for the Droid. It really is a toss up right now as to which phone is better, all three are great. It really seems to come down to what YOU like the best, for now at least.

 

[dbpaddler]

Some things I notice, and I wonder how deep Sense goes into the Android UI because I turned off Sense a day or two after I got the Hero.

On the Moment:

• No visual bookmarks
• No T9 on the dialer to find contacts.
• No way to supress doubled contacts (ie. same contact in Exchange and Google). Both always show.
• Browser doesn't ask to save passwords.
• Calendar interface is cleaner

I'm sure there's some 3rd party things I can do to compensate. These were just things I noticed switching from one to the other. There might be a few others. Some I just think are tragic not to be standard on a "smartphone". Seriously, no T9 on the dialer? I know there's a full keyboard, but you hardly want to use that for normal calling. And some of the 3rd party ones are pretty poor or they charge for them.

 

[quentinfisher]

Yeah I'll be switching my Hero, I considered the Moment, but in the end Sprint service in my area is just too behind Verizon's for the price to keep me there any longer. I'm between the Droid and Eris right now, and while the Eris runs a bit better than the Hero in my area, the Droid is just better. I'm a Android user indefinitely though , it's just the best OS out right now, and 2.0 gives a great user experience for being stock, but if Sprint offered anywhere near the same amount of coverage and 3G(what drives me away the most, the fact that VZ has had 3G for awhile now in my in my area and Sprint still has not) I wouldn't even consider switching, but it is not.

 

[Adrift]

Some things I notice, and I wonder how deep Sense goes into the Android UI because I turned off Sense a day or two after I got the Hero.

On the Moment:

• No visual bookmarks
• No T9 on the dialer to find contacts.
• No way to supress doubled contacts (ie. same contact in Exchange and Google). Both always show.
• Browser doesn't ask to save passwords.
• Calendar interface is cleaner

I'm sure there's some 3rd party things I can do to compensate. These were just things I noticed switching from one to the other. There might be a few others. Some I just think are tragic not to be standard on a "smartphone". Seriously, no T9 on the dialer? I know there's a full keyboard, but you hardly want to use that for normal calling. And some of the 3rd party ones are pretty poor or they charge for them.

When I go through my contacts, I can just start typing and usually end up at the person I want (If I want Jan Amsden, I either type J-A or A-M, goes right to her) You can bring up an on screen keyboard by : push Call button, touch menu on screen, touch search under menu, then touch the area to type in a name and it will pop up, you then get predictive text (T9?) on names.

The rest of the stuff you listed are HTC and Sense UI features (visual bookmarks, passwords saved in browser, calendar). The two having to do with the browser (bookmarks and passwords) will hopefully be included with the mozilla firefox browser that is being developed now for android. You can turn off either exchange or google and only get one, I don't use exchange so I never learned how to do this.

I don't think you can ever truely turn of Sense UI, as you are only turning off the visual aspect of it. I believe it is rooted deep into the OS, especially things like the browser.

 

[Adrift]

Yeah I'll be switching my Hero, I considered the Moment, but in the end Sprint service in my area is just too behind Verizon's for the price to keep me there any longer. I'm between the Droid and Eris right now, and while the Eris runs a bit better than the Hero in my area, the Droid is just better. I'm a Android user indefinitely though , it's just the best OS out right now, and 2.0 gives a great user experience for being stock, but if Sprint offered anywhere near the same amount of coverage and 3G(what drives me away the most, the fact that VZ has had 3G for awhile now in my in my area and Sprint still has not) I wouldn't even consider switching, but it is not.

Hell it's not much of a choice if Sprint has crappy coverage in your area, I'd go with best coverage over plans anytime. But when I have great coverage from both carriers then I go with best plans.

 

[areidmeade]

Hey all, Im a sprint customer coming from the Samsung Instinct( Worst sprint phone ever, and its all Samsungs fault, I havent even had it a year yet and it died, piece of shizz) Anyway, i Like so many countless others is torn between these two phones. Everytime i find one pro for one i find an equal pro in the other.( 800Mhz vs Sense ui) (Amoled vs oleophobic) (Keyboard vs full integration) etc. i dont want to wait too late to pick one because if i do i'll almost definetely get caught in that spot where you get a new phone and then 1 month later a newer better one comes out( kinda why i waited before getting the pre, then the hero came, then the moment >.<) so i kinda want to choose asap.

So i have a few questions:

1. does anyone have a few pics from the Hero's camera?

2. i hear about problems with Moment not showing all apps in he app store.
True or false?

3. has anyone heard about any other Android phone coming to sprint?( at the moment,no pun intended, im using my old Fusic so i think i can wait a lil bit longer if need be)

4. does having the full page widgets really make a difference? how about those 7 pages?

5. Digital compass? useful or not really?

6. Moment keyboard...looks great, but i kinda feel 'iffy' about it, why put a d pad in there? and i really dont need a dedicated number row :/

7. Battery life? HUGE issue for me, i like to use my fone ALOT, so which is truly better?

8. Here's a random one. Which has more accessories (cases, etc)

9. Any new rumors as to OS upgrades( Android 2.0 etc)?

it may seem like i haven't done my research but believe me ive been eying these two since the original Hero came out in Europe and the Moment was still called the "Instinct Q" ( i initially HATED it just because the word "instinct" was in its name).
I just really wanted to hear from actual users as opposed to reviewers and Sprint personnel.

 

[Edaze55]

1. There are some pics from the Hero in the Sprint Hero section. They look pretty good if you can keep the camera still enough.

2. I have not ran across any apps that were not available for the Moment that I could get on my Hero. Maybe someone else has had other issues?

3. Only rumors, nothing confirmed. Not even which Androids jus that they will be getting more.

4. Really depends on what you are using the widget for. You can just about mix and match apps off Market to get any widget the Hero has.

5. I dont find much use for a compass, digital or otherwise, but some people like it.

6. You get used to the keyboard. It doesnt have a dpad. It has arrow keys which I assume you are referring to. I think come in handy from time to time.

7. The Hero probably has better battery life, but not by much.

8. The Hero has more but its been out a month already. The Moment only a week.

9. No new OS rumors yet.

 

[Flipper]

I can answer a few questions based on my experience (owned the Hero for 3 weeks and have had the Moment since Friday). Remember, these are just based on my subjective opinion.

1. does anyone have a few pics from the Hero's camera?

I have a few saved - nothing worth sharing or bragging about but I attribute mine to user error.

2. i hear about problems with Moment not showing all apps in he app store.
True or false?

I got that impression too - there were a few apps that I had on the Hero that I can't seem to locate when I'm looking for them on the Moment; however, the 'Market' menu on the Moment seems more organized and thorough so it may be that it's sorted some where else. The 'popular' apps like Layar, Pandora, etc., all show up.

3. has anyone heard about any other Android phone coming to sprint?( at the moment,no pun intended, im using my old Fusic so i think i can wait a lil bit longer if need be)

There will always be another "bigger and better" phone coming around the corner. That being said, there is supposedly one more Android phone coming out either before or in Q1 2010. Rumor has it though that it's not supposed to be any better than either the Hero or Moment.

4. does having the full page widgets really make a difference? how about those 7 pages?

Although I did think it was really nice on the Hero, for me, I found myself only going to about 3 of the pages I frequently used. I actually ended up disabling the Sense UI.

5. Digital compass? useful or not really?

Very useful with certain apps (Layar and others) and with the Nav.

6. Moment keyboard...looks great, but i kinda feel 'iffy' about it, why put a d pad in there? and i really dont need a dedicated number row :/

The keypad is great for me - BIGGEST reason I switched. You get used to it pretty quickly; that being said, the virtual keyboard on the Hero is one of the best virtual keyboards I've ever used.

7. Battery life? HUGE issue for me, i like to use my fone ALOT, so which is truly better?

So far, I'd say they're about even. Both stink but expected for a "smartphone" that does about as much as a laptop. Could change with the update coming.

8. Here's a random one. Which has more accessories (cases, etc)

This was already addressed - right now, Hero. Probably stay that way too considering it's been out longer and it has more fans than the Moment.

9. Any new rumors as to OS upgrades( Android 2.0 etc)?

A Sprint exec confirmed that both the Moment and Hero will be getting upgrades to the OS sometime in the near future (was it b4 the end of the year or Q1 2010??) I posted a link somewhere on this forum where he was quoted but can't remember where.


One other thing. So far, I do like the Moment. It seems zippier and less bogged down or prone to lag. But it doesn't seem as "refined" as the Hero. And the keyboard and flash on the camera for the Moment are a definite plus for me.

However, if the GPS is one feature that you're planning on utilizing a lot, forget about the Moment and get the Hero. The Hero blows the Moment and most other phones in this category out of the water. Don't know if it's a hardware or software issue but my Hero found my location almost instantly while my Moment is constantly "searching" for a signal (I also confirmed this test inside the Sprint store when I was testing both phones side-by-side and debating on the two phones).

Again, these are just my opinions based on my weekend with the Moment (which I'm keeping) and my 3 weeks with the Hero (which I do miss).

Good luck.

 

[scarletslipper]

@Flipper: Just traded my Hero for the Moment because of the keyboard issue. One thing I'm noticing is that the Hero, when "dark", if I picked it up, the phone is locked screen came right up and I could slide down to get to the unlock dots. Very efficient. With the Moment, I have slide my keyboard out & in to wake it up which seems awkward, then Home screen comes up, THEN the phone is locked message comes up with instructions to press the Menu key to get to the unlock dots. My light is set for 30 seconds and if it stays on 3, I'd be surprised. I think this is very, very inefficient. I don't know if my phone is faulty or this is the way it's supposed to work.

 

[dbpaddler]

sounds like a lot of trouble to turn on the phone when you can just hit the end button then menu button.

 

[Edaze55]

@Flipper: Just traded my Hero for the Moment because of the keyboard issue. One thing I'm noticing is that the Hero, when "dark", if I picked it up, the phone is locked screen came right up and I could slide down to get to the unlock dots. Very efficient. With the Moment, I have slide my keyboard out & in to wake it up which seems awkward, then Home screen comes up, THEN the phone is locked message comes up with instructions to press the Menu key to get to the unlock dots. My light is set for 30 seconds and if it stays on 3, I'd be surprised. I think this is very, very inefficient. I don't know if my phone is faulty or this is the way it's supposed to work.

Sliding the keyboard is one way to wake your phone, the end call button being another. If the end call butting isnt doing this, there is something wrong with your phone.

Menu > Menu on the Hero used to skip the pull down screen. This doesnt work on the Moment.

Lock 2.0 is a nice replacement to the boring screen lock. (Not the dot lock combination)

 

[Adrift]

I just hit the end button to wake my phone up... though if I am going to be using the keyboard immediatly after I will just wake it up by opening the keyboard.

 

[Flipper]

@Flipper: Just traded my Hero for the Moment because of the keyboard issue. One thing I'm noticing is that the Hero, when "dark", if I picked it up, the phone is locked screen came right up and I could slide down to get to the unlock dots. Very efficient. With the Moment, I have slide my keyboard out & in to wake it up which seems awkward, then Home screen comes up, THEN the phone is locked message comes up with instructions to press the Menu key to get to the unlock dots. My light is set for 30 seconds and if it stays on 3, I'd be surprised. I think this is very, very inefficient. I don't know if my phone is faulty or this is the way it's supposed to work.

I think dpaddler nailed it on the head. It sounds like you were doing what I was doing (before I read the manual) to unlock the phone. All you have to do is first hit the 'End' button (the red button on the bottom right) then the Menu button to unlock.

Before that, I was so frustrated with my phone, thinking that I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get the phone to wake up. I then realized that I should probably look at the manual and see if there wasn't something I should be doing (I even searched the internet before opening the manual).

I remember the good old days, before I was working 50 hours a week and had a wife and kid where I could actually study the user's manual of the latest tech gadget I bought to get to know it intimately... I guess those days are over.

 

[scarletslipper]

That works, thanks, everyone. I felt sure it had to be something easy, but I didn't think about the End button and I inadvertently left the manual at home.

 

[scarletslipper]

seems to be about the same on both phones: poor. Even HQ isn't all that good; certainly not as good as the quality on my coworker's iPhone. And the video sound on my Moment is very tinny. I haven't tried music or Pandora, yet.

 

[Pertinax]

hero has sense ui
moment has 800mhz cpu...

hmmm

(physical keyboard is not an issue for me)

I had the Hero and swapped it for the Moment. I am not a big keyboard user. My last phn was a Diamond and I didn't miss it. I do use the keyboard for longer messages now that I have one.

I prefer the moment for the following reasons.

Calls have more volume, screen is nicer, processor, camera flash, button for camera and voice command.

Sense UI really isn't an issue for anyone that is willing to spend $5 on a UI add on (dxTop).

 

[Adrift]

seems to be about the same on both phones: poor. Even HQ isn't all that good; certainly not as good as the quality on my coworker's iPhone. And the video sound on my Moment is very tinny. I haven't tried music or Pandora, yet.

Maybe we are seeing different things here.... Youtube High Quality looks awesome on my phone.... I'm not expecting 1080P quality but it still looks great. Maybe you are viewing crappy videos?

*edit* comparing to a friends iPhone, better on Moment, even she agrees, viewing the same video.

 

[dbpaddler]

What's a manual?

I remember the good old days, before I was working 50 hours a week and had a wife and kid where I could actually study the user's manual of the latest tech gadget I bought to get to know it intimately... I guess those days are over.

 

[kayawire]

Maybe we are seeing different things here.... Youtube High Quality looks awesome on my phone.... I'm not expecting 1080P quality but it still looks great. Maybe you are viewing crappy videos?

*edit* comparing to a friends iPhone, better on Moment, even she agrees, viewing the same video.

+1...I also did a youtube comparison test with my friend's iphone 3gs (over 3g not wifi) ...When I changed the setting on the Moment to play in high quality well....he was blown away

 

[Edaze55]

Maybe we are seeing different things here.... Youtube High Quality looks awesome on my phone.... I'm not expecting 1080P quality but it still looks great. Maybe you are viewing crappy videos?

*edit* comparing to a friends iPhone, better on Moment, even she agrees, viewing the same video.

Cant say Ive made the comparison against an iPhone, but the Moments youtube HQ videos look great to me as well.

 

[pastafarian]

Yeah I'll be switching my Hero, I considered the Moment, but in the end Sprint service in my area is just too behind Verizon's for the price to keep me there any longer. I'm between the Droid and Eris right now, and while the Eris runs a bit better than the Hero in my area, the Droid is just better. I'm a Android user indefinitely though , it's just the best OS out right now, and 2.0 gives a great user experience for being stock, but if Sprint offered anywhere near the same amount of coverage and 3G(what drives me away the most, the fact that VZ has had 3G for awhile now in my in my area and Sprint still has not) I wouldn't even consider switching, but it is not.

It won't help with the 3g problem, but if your home reception is bad AND you're a premier customer you can complain to cs and get a free Airave (femtocell). Sprints service has been sketchy where we live and the NIMBYs won't allow another tower to be built. From info I gleaned from the Pre Central forum, I got a free airave a month ago and now my cell phone works and sounds better than my home voip setup. The Airave doesn't do data, though I've read that the upcoming at&t femtocell will. Good luck getting at&t (or Verizon) giving you one for free.

 

[rockcrawler]

It won't help with the 3g problem, but if your home reception is bad AND you're a premier customer you can complain to cs and get a free Airave (femtocell). Sprints service has been sketchy where we live and the NIMBYs won't allow another tower to be built. From info I gleaned from the Pre Central forum, I got a free airave a month ago and now my cell phone works and sounds better than my home voip setup. The Airave doesn't do data, though I've read that the upcoming at&t femtocell will. Good luck getting at&t (or Verizon) giving you one for free.

Are they charging you the monthly fee's that are normally associated with the Airave?

If not, I will be making the call.

 

[pastafarian]

Are they charging you the monthly fee's that are normally associated with the Airave?

If not, I will be making the call.

NADA, though they made a mistake on the first bill so you have to stay on top of them. They waved the $100 cost, $5 monthly cost, the $18 setup fee AND they credited me $40 so I could get a router (suggestion, when the Airave rep is setting you up with the unit and asks if you have a router, say "what's a router?"). Another suggestion? We upgraded my wifes phone and extended her plan but I went out of contract. They offered me $70 beyond the $150 upgrade just to renew. I'm loving Sprint!!! Good luck!