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User Reviews + first impressions

dan330 said:
first.. i hate you!

second... how do you feel about the screen shape change? it is narrower, taller than the 4G.

third... can you see if you can do call and data over 3G?

forth.. the camera cover... glass or plastic? your guess?

fifth.. i hate you. did i say that already? :P
Click to expand...

This phone will not do call/data simultaneously over 3g. You must have 4g on and connected to do that. It's a CDMA limitation.

Edit: Let me also add that you can do simultaneous voice/data if you are connected to WiFi as well (basically WiMax is just a glorified WiFi network)
 
yourfriendmat said:
My biggest issue so far is really the development of 3D content for the device. Blockbuster, HTC Watch, and Gameloft really dropped the ball as far as indicating what is 3D content.
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Can you go to the Gameloft website with your phone and see which games come up (and see if it recognizes the device as the E3D at the bottom of the page)? Also, how does the Spiderman game look and run (did you ever play the EVO version to compare)?
 
I pre ordered mine but now I'm a little skeptical. Started to consider the Nexus S instead but I just hate the thought of going to a smaller screen. I've had my Evo 4G since it's release and love it except for the battery issue (I get 10 hours on a good day with minimal use. This is even after a factory reset with just Handcent) Then there's the SGII but no release date on that and I can't wait cuz I'm handing my Evo to my girl since her Hero is literally falling apart. Any advice from anyone??
 
Can you guys also give impressions on call quality? Which apparently was one of the reviewers biggest gripes. Thanks for everything and I hope you guys are enjoying your Superphones!
 
novox77 said:
...If someone were to ask me what I would rate my old 8-bit NES, I would give it a score of 9 today. Would be a 10 if I didn't have to blow into the cartridges after a year of ownership.
Click to expand...

Funny! And to think that games not working was due to corrosion on the copper contacts, and of course blowing on the cartridges only adds moisture to the copper game contacts, causing further corrosion. So while this was everyone's instinct (including my own!), this only made the problem worse lol.

What we really needed was a NES game cleaning kit! And yes, I did work at FuncoLand (now GameStop) in high school, but that doesn't change it from still being true lol :cool:
 
Linx said:
I pre ordered mine but now I'm a little skeptical. Started to consider the Nexus S instead but I just hate the thought of going to a smaller screen. I've had my Evo 4G since it's release and love it except for the battery issue (I get 10 hours on a good day with minimal use. This is even after a factory reset with just Handcent) Then there's the SGII but no release date on that and I can't wait cuz I'm handing my Evo to my girl since her Hero is literally falling apart. Any advice from anyone??
Click to expand...

Custom ROM until SGII or Nexus 3 (or the Motorola Proton!).
 
Linx said:
I pre ordered mine but now I'm a little skeptical. Started to consider the Nexus S instead but I just hate the thought of going to a smaller screen. I've had my Evo 4G since it's release and love it except for the battery issue (I get 10 hours on a good day with minimal use. This is even after a factory reset with just Handcent) Then there's the SGII but no release date on that and I can't wait cuz I'm handing my Evo to my girl since her Hero is literally falling apart. Any advice from anyone??
Click to expand...

If you love your Evo4G, I'd go into the store and check out the Evo3D. You'll still have your pre-order and will have one reserved if you decided to get it. Personally, I also liked the original Evo and am planning on getting my 3D on Friday. While I'll still play around with one before I make my final decision, it would take a pretty serious flaw to make me decide to get something else. Of course I'll try it out for myself to make sure before I buy it.

Of course you always have 30 days to return and get something else if you want to.
 
novox77 said:
I rank my Evo 4G a 9.

For what it is, it will always be a 9.

If someone were to ask me what I would rate my old 8-bit NES, I would give it a score of 9 today. Would be a 10 if I didn't have to blow into the cartridges after a year of ownership.
Click to expand...

Hah! Methinks you're as old a nerd as I. I would still rate my old Televideo CP/M machine as a high 7!
 
momoceio said:
This phone will not do call/data simultaneously over 3g. You must have 4g on and connected to do that. It's a CDMA limitation.
Click to expand...

Qualcomm's CDMA2000 advanced spec does allow it (it's called SVDO) and it is supported on Verizon's Thunderbolt. However, both the network and the device have to support it and I don't know if Sprints network, much less this phone, support it.
 
apinkel said:
Qualcomm's CDMA2000 advanced spec does allow it (it's called SVDO) and it is supported on Verizon's Thunderbolt. However, both the network and the device have to support it and I don't know if Sprints network, much less this phone, support it.
Click to expand...

Sprint doesn't have SVDO - so, the above is true - for voice+data you need either 4G or wifi.
 
yourfriendmat said:
My biggest issue so far is really the development of 3D content for the device. Blockbuster, HTC Watch, and Gameloft really dropped the ball as far as indicating what is 3D content.
Click to expand...

Vanquished said:
Can you go to the Gameloft website with your phone and see which games come up (and see if it recognizes the device as the E3D at the bottom of the page)? Also, how does the Spiderman game look and run (did you ever play the EVO version to compare)?
Click to expand...

If you go to this page on the Gameloft site and select the HTC EVO 3D from the drop down menu it shows the available games:
Android Games, Download HD Games for Android Now! - Gameloft

Assassins Creed: Altairs Chronicles

...And that's it. :confused::( Which doesn't make sense since at CTIA they were showing off both Splinter Cell Conviction and Spiderman Total Mayhem in 3D. Can anyone go to the store via the phone and see what titles pop-up?
 
apinkel said:
Qualcomm's CDMA2000 advanced spec does allow it (it's called SVDO) and it is supported on Verizon's Thunderbolt. However, both the network and the device have to support it and I don't know if Sprints network, much less this phone, support it.
Click to expand...

EarlyMon said:
Sprint doesn't have SVDO - so, the above is true - for voice+data you need either 4G or wifi.
Click to expand...


yeah.. i know..

but I was hoping...

:( :o
 
Received mine at noon today and have been messing with it a little.

Overall
Coming from the EVO 4G this is a nice upgrade. I don't see anything 'bad' about the upgrade and don't see a reason I'll miss my EVO 4G.

Battery
I know this is important to a lot but at this point it is TBD until I use it for a day or two. I will report back and update.

Screen
Beautiful. The increase in resolution from the EVO 4G really makes a difference to me. Very sharp.

Sense UI
VERY nice. It is very smooth and I like the fact you can go full circle with the pages. The only thing that will be hard to get used to is the revolving effect if you spin it to hard. I'll have to be more careful when going to switch screens. The extra widgets available are really nice too if you are in to widgets. I find myself setting the phone up to look exactly like my EVO 4G did for some reason.

The drop down notification bar thing is cool because it has your recent apps up to that you can scroll through. It also has a "Quick Settings" feature that is cool.

Performance
Feels a lot snappier than the EVO 4G. Definately faster. I like.

HDMI Out
I don't have a cable so I can't comment on it

Call Quality
I don't use my phone as a phone very often but I did call my dad and he said I sounded fine. He was in the bathroom so there was a little echo...obviously.

Set Up
You can activate from the headset. That was cool. It will prompt you once you fire it up. For Apps I just installed App Brain, found the list from my EVO 4G, and started installing. It knew what I purchased before so no need to buy things twice.

Charging Port Location
When I saw pics of the charging port on the left side of the phone vs. the bottom where it was on the EVO 4G I was worried. But come to find out that works better for me because the other way was tough to manuever when I was charging at my office. The only downside I see to this is if you are charging and talking on the phone at the same time. Thats when having it on the bottom was a plus.

Camera (2D/3D)
Like the dedicated button. Hold it for a few seconds and it'll take you to the camera. Switching between 2D/3D is simple. I'm not a huge fan of the 3D but I thought is was cool taking 3D pics and movies. 2D camera seems better than the EVO 4G. Not perfect...but better.

Physical Feel
You can sort of feel the difference in size from the EVO 4G. Feels real good in the hand just like the EVO 4G did. I don't know why but I sort of like the look of the EVO 4G better than the 3D. It may have to do with how the earpiece/front facing camera are a separate piece vs. the one solid glass look of the 4G.

One Con here though. The physical button for the Camera "clicks" when it is bumped gently. Like it is loose. Not a huge problem but it is something I noticed.

Feedback
The haptic feedback when you type is different than the 4G. You feel it more but it feels more solid than the 4G. Hard to explain. I think if you prefer the haptic feedback on, you will like it better on the 3D.

Keyboard
Currently not a fan of the stock keyboard but will give it a chance. I was using SmartKeyboard Pro on my 4G but the change in resolution stretches it out in landscape and seems to shrink it a little in portrait.


If you have any questions, feel free to ask. My responses after 4pm (EST) will slow down since that's when I'm heading home.
 
Vanquished said:
If you go to this page on the Gameloft site and select the HTC EVO 3D from the drop down menu it shows the available games:
Android Games, Download HD Games for Android Now! - Gameloft

Assassins Creed: Altairs Chronicles

...And that's it. :confused::( Which doesn't make sense since at CTIA they were showing off both Splinter Cell Conviction and Spiderman Total Mayhem in 3D. Can anyone go to the store via the phone and see what titles pop-up?
Click to expand...

That is the only game that pops up
 
Vanquished said:
If you go to this page on the Gameloft site and select the HTC EVO 3D from the drop down menu it shows the available games:
Android Games, Download HD Games for Android Now! - Gameloft

Assassins Creed: Altairs Chronicles

...And that's it. :confused::( Which doesn't make sense since at CTIA they were showing off both Splinter Cell Conviction and Spiderman Total Mayhem in 3D. Can anyone go to the store via the phone and see what titles pop-up?
Click to expand...

It could be that they're not releasing the other games because they're waiting for the 24th, or they haven't signed off on them working for the E3D, yet.

If Monday rolls around and that's all they have, still, I'd then be wondering.
 
So many features of the phone that I have not been able to test yet while at work but so far I am in complete and utter love with this phone. Lots of new little menu settings to root through like Advanced Bluetooth settings to turn on Message Access. I did this and synced it to my Ford Explorer Sync and now my car reads me my texts! Also saw the ability to forward Texts to another number and an email address. Also now a selection for USB Tethering to choose Windows or Mac OSX. Tons of new HTC Widgets and HTC Hub lets you download new content like widgets and wallpapers as well as use their Phone Finder. There is now a Backup and Restore section under privacy but not sure what that does yet. A new Power section that let's you set some Power saving settings and turn on Power Effeciency (much like you can on a laptop). Best new notification selection is for when to warn of low space and by default it is set at 10MB. So no more low storage warnings at 43 MB. That's all for now.... except this phone is a beast!
 
A lot of people have already said quite a few good things about the phone, so I am just gonna try and keep it short and simple.

If anyone thinks that the 3vo is not worth the upgrade, they are just plain wrong. I don't care what kind of rom you have flashed on your original evo, nothing will bring it to the smoothness of this device.....period. This thing is so responsive its on the border line of being psychic.

I know a lot of people been concerned about call quality and for me personally, its no different than my original evo. Everyone can hear me just fine and everyone sound crystal clear to me. Speakerphone seems to be a lot better on the original evo though. Also using my jawbone icon bluetooth works flawlessly as well.

The screen is just beautiful. At first you may not even realize it but after a while of playing with the device then going back to the original you can definitely see the difference then. The 3D aspect is pretty cool and it actually works better than I thought it would but all in all its not something I will use a lot but its fun as hell though. Me and my girl been sending each other 3d pics, so you can see where that could lead too, LOL. If the next evo doesn't have 3d I would definitely be disappointed, even though I don't see myself using it very often.

The camera quality is ok, not really any difference compared to the original evo but there is definitely a difference in lower light conditions.

Even though the phone is slightly thinner and taller it feels a lot smaller in your hands compared to the original evo and even though the specs say they both weigh the same the 3vo feels a lot lighter but thats just me.

The charging location is definitely gonna be one of those things that you gonna have to get used to. I haven't tried mhl yet and my wireless adapter for my panny plasma isn't acting right so I can't try dlna yet.

Finally, sense UI. Nothing significantly changed but the little touches here and there really makes this phone feel premium compared to vanilla android or other UI's, but of course I have always been in love with sense so I may be a little bias on that one.

Oh yeah, battery. I don't know what the hell everyone issue is with the battery. This thing will run all sorts of circles around the evo, I don't care what kind of kernal you got flashed. Been using it quite heavily for the last few hours and my battery is holding up pretty well. With light to moderate use this is definitely a day and a half phone compared to my original evo, light to moderate use will get me about 14 to 20 hours depending on varying factors.
 
Got mines around lunch.. been non-stop loading apps and personalizing. Thoughts so far:

Overall 9.5/10
Blazingly fast.. everything just pops. No waiting. On my old EVO hotlapping the install of a lot of apps would slow it down hard - the EVO3D just ate this up. I literally had ran thru searching, selecting, installing about 25 apps without hesitation or any slow downs.

Feel of the phone is better naturally elongated compared to EVO. Display resolution is top notch. The 3D effect while nice, has to be looked at just the right angle to not cross your eyes up. Reminds me of the old Viewmaster toy I had when I was a kid with the depth of field perspective to pictures.

Calls
Speaker is pretty dam loud and good for a phone. Call quality was good for inbound. Wife said that her end sounded a little weaker compared to the old EVO.

Battery
Not enuf time but picked it up at noon with 35% - went non-stop till 4pm installing, playing and customizing and plugged it up at 16% if that's any indication. 4G, bluetooth, wifi and GPS were all on.

UI
Sense 3.0 is the shizznit. The lock screen enhancements are worth the upgrade alone. People app now asks you to select which contacts to import to avoid the Facebook phonebook of death.

The new notification panel is much improved with the list of 4 last opened apps up top and a "QuickSettings" tab below. Real nice.

Lots more to check out but nothing so far that doesn't reaffirm the decision that this is a worthwhile upgrade and a reclamation of the mantle for the EVO3D as the baddest Android Phone on the market to date.
 
dan330 said:
first.. i hate you!

second... how do you feel about the screen shape change? it is narrower, taller than the 4G.

third... can you see if you can do call and data over 3G?

forth.. the camera cover... glass or plastic? your guess?

fifth.. i hate you. did i say that already? :P
Click to expand...

  1. Yeah I hate me too ;)
  2. It needs to be narrower IMO, so that you can wrap your hand around it without rubbing greasy fingers all over the cameras :p
  3. Nope. See the other posts that have explained this above :)
  4. Pretty sure plastic, but I don't really feel like finding out ;)
  5. I understand

Something worth noting is that the front screen is slightly recessed, so if you have to set it on a surface, you'd be pretty safe setting it on the screen. Especially if you have a screen protector and/or Ghost Armor.

novox77 said:
I rank my Evo 4G a 9.

For what it is, it will always be a 9.

If someone were to ask me what I would rate my old 8-bit NES, I would give it a score of 9 today. Would be a 10 if I didn't have to blow into the cartridges after a year of ownership.
Click to expand...

I guess I wasn't saying it was worse now, I was just adjusting it to fit a more absolute scale where its score would make sense with the Evo 3D's score. :)

I plan on customizing the crap out of Evo Sr. (or maybe Big Daddy Evo?), so the phone will definitely still get used a lot. I'm really excited to see what some of the custom ROMs have to offer :) Evo Jr. will stay stock for a while, though.
 
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