With the arrival chez-Phones-Show, Spring 2010, of the Sony Ericsson X10, the very latest from the world of Android smartphones, I wanted to pitch it head to head against the current flagship in the Symbian world, the Samung i8910 HD. On paper, there's a good match here... Smartphones to your corners: Fight!
Read on in the full article.
I think the info in the table is wrong when it comes to the X10 keyboard. It's got both haptics and sound. It might be a bit cumbersome to enable those options but they exist. As far as I remember there were three keyboards to chose from, the Japanese one, SE one and the stock android one.
Heh glad to see AAS using custom firmwares in phone comparisons :P
@atmozphere: you're right I've found the options you're referring to. it's a bit of a mess, really - two separate keyboards, each with different options and it's not obvious which one's going to pop up in which app. Also, once you've enabled sounds and vibrations in BOTH keyboard dialogs, the end result is pretty horrible: over-loud 'dings' (by default - you have to go through hoops to adjust overall system media volume to reduce these) and very weak - and slightly delayed - haptics. In contrast, the i8910 HD's feedback is PERFECT: a nice typewriter sound-sample and well pulsed, well-timed vibrator etc.
Steve 'sponsored by Nokia (😃)' Litchfield referring to the i8910 as "Best of Symbian", and "Current Symbian flagship".
[sound effect]UKJeeper falls off his chair in shock[/sound effect]
Now if only BBC licensed the Iplayer for the i8910.... 😉
slitchfield wrote: and well pulsed, well-timed vibrator etc.
It's really amazing what these new phones are being used for.
iplayer works fine on my i8910 - in what way do you mean "licensed"?
It should be noted that on Android devices, that yes, you do have to install applications on to the internal memory, but also that application can store their data on the memory card, for example a game can store all its graphics data on the memory card, thus minimising the data installed to the internal memory
Wait a minute...did Steve SERIOUSLY just pit a hacked Symbian phone against a stock Android phone to compare?? Really?!
Wouldn't a better comparison be against the SE Satio? Or the Vivaz??
If you're starting to do that, why not pit every Flagship Symbian has against a Jailbroken iPhone 3GS?? Multi tasking, SSH, Bluetooth file transfer, MMS, Side loading of unofficial apps, Themes the list goes on and on Steve, if Symbian is as good as everyone here thinks, put a hacked phone against a hacked phone, and then see which one has the most "Greens".
Jeez, the bias on this site sickens me sometimes. I come Here for news on my potential next purchase, not "We can bend every rule in the book to make Symbian look awesome!"
Rant over?
What about Garmin for Samsung, it's good as the stand-alone gps unit!?!?!?!
iFanboy wrote:Wait a minute...did Steve SERIOUSLY just pit a hacked Symbian phone against a stock Android phone to compare?? Really?!Wouldn't a better comparison be against the SE Satio? Or the Vivaz??
If you're starting to do that, why not pit every Flagship Symbian has against a Jailbroken iPhone 3GS?? Multi tasking, SSH, Bluetooth file transfer, MMS, Side loading of unofficial apps, Themes the list goes on and on Steve, if Symbian is as good as everyone here thinks, put a hacked phone against a hacked phone, and then see which one has the most "Greens".
Jeez, the bias on this site sickens me sometimes. I come Here for news on my potential next purchase, not "We can bend every rule in the book to make Symbian look awesome!"
Rant over?
Oh for God's sake, give it a rest.
I for one found it an interesting comparison. It was a good illustration of how a flagship Symbian device, given the "right" firmware, fares against a more recent Android device.
If you don't like the content here, why not go somewhere more to your liking and stop bothering us with your pathetic whining...? Or is your rant really over?
Oh, iFanboy, you've missed the point. I was only declaring the firmware I was using. 99% of the stuff in that column is also relevant to the stock i8910 HD firmware. Going HX wasn't a point you need to focus on for this feature.
Input mechanisms - there are at least 2 different PORTRAIT keyboards for symbian 5th, which work wonderfully on Omnia HD/
Display. Since when transflective LCD is better then AMOLED, especially in contrast, color reproduction and battery saving?
GPS and navigation. As i wrote it before, GPS on Omnia is unbelievable. It gets fix on cold start in less then a second. And navigation software for symbian 5th is much more mature then for Android - Garmin, smartcomgps (ozi formats), sygic, ndrive, ovimaps etc, etc. And all work as a clock on Omnia.
@daos
Have you seen the X10's screen?
Also, this AMOLED is better than TFT is unfounded, yeah, old school TFT but not what is offered currently. AMOLED has a sharper screen indoors but the colours are unrealistic whereas TFT has real colours. Outdoors the AMOLED is trumped hands down. Its real advantage is that it is thinner and conserves battery standby times.
I kinda understand IFan's argument, notwithstanding Steve's response, it would seem Symbian wins more often than not simply because this is a Symbian forum and thus full of Symbian supporters/fans.
I hate full touch phones but the X10 seems the better bet, I mean what's with comparing an HD phone with one that isn't similarly equipped? If this was a software comparison then what are the camera comparisons for? Why not include audio quality through headsets? The Sammy will be murdered in that department.
See, there just isn't going to be an even comparison unless it was Vivaz vs Omnia HD.
slitchfield wrote:Oh, iFanboy, you've missed the point. I was only declaring the firmware I was using. 99% of the stuff in that column is also relevant to the stock i8910 HD firmware. Going HX wasn't a point you need to focus on for this feature.
yeah, but it's hard to ignore that part considering that the stock i8910 firmwares are terrible in comparison to HX's releases, and that the so-called 'Latest Android' is running 1.6, when the Nexus one etc have 2.1 Seems like a rigged battle, no offence meant to you.
Even so, most of the items covered in the review aren't really affected by firmware, except maybe the camera.
Give us a new comparison format Steve. These tables give us nothing
Steve, I expected more from you than just put all your nice perspective on your precious Samsung. I understand that your Samsung is indeed a powerful mobile tool for today's standard, but I must say that your comparisons were overly objective in favor of your Samsung.
I really don't like the thought of pitting two devices against each other and prove w/c one outsmarts the other. What I think is important is how you can maximize your device's potential to the tops and get the most out of it and make it work for you the way you want it to.
Here's a good link to legal Symbian apps, also free downloads.
Check www.allapps.co.uk
This isnt really a fair compariosn pitting a SE Android device that isn't running the latest firmware and is has had the SE custom interface slapped on to it.
The Xperia in my opinion does not represent a good android phone, a better comparison would be with the new HTC Android devices like the Inredible, HTC have managed to do a great jop of keeping the core of ANdroid intact while adding the Sense UI on to it. The experience is much fatser and smoother.
No need for a modified version of Ovi Maps on the I8910 - just install the latest S60SOA package and download the latest version of Ovi Maps from Nokia or even get 3.4 from Beta Labs. All working fine.
Contacts does sync. It just needs to be turned on. SE needs to create a guided first-time set-up app for the X10.
Agree that camera is disappointing. Video not bad though. 2mbps MPEG4 at VGA produces good results. Don't buy this for the cam. Less sensitive than an N82. Cam light is very poor.
I'm sure the screen is plastic, not glass. Just my observation though.
Browser is super-fast. Very impressive. GPS too.
Mediascape has some nice features, fast track, genre, favs, recent played plus infinity button to get YouTube related videos, PlayNow tracks or Google search.
Apps.Apps. Apps Apps! Google Sky, Email, maps, goggles, etc etc. Elevate the phone way above symbian. (I'm a 2 year N82 user but this Android experience probably means I won't be going back to Symbian)
Speaker is crap
For an active user, 9-12 hours usage with either Wifi or 3G. Heavy user will have to charge late afternoon.
Screen is just amazing. Outdoor and in-car use is better than anything i've tried. Transflective.
Wisepilot very good but damn expensive. This version doesnt include offline maps although thats coming.
HSPA is fast. (I'm getting 1.5mbps UPLOAD here!
On screen keyboard is not so accurate but includes some very good word prediction. It needs hit area intelligence. Many keyboards on the market though.
Style is great. Yes, some plastic, but good plastic and rubber covered back.
Good memory management.
Quality buttons.
Nice case. 8GB micro SD (class 2) USB charger.
Poor codec support. (up to 2mbps WMV and MPEG4.)
The X10 doesn't beat the Desire (apart from screen) and the Milestone is now under 400 Euro so is quite the bargain (has Gorilla glass too!)
X10 is something if you want to be a little unique, really need the fastest, best browsing experience, do a lot of reading (you can use this as an ebook reader)
There's more but I should stop now!Only meant to comment on the contacts sync!
Actually i'm logging all my experiences on a blog. http://xperiax10.carrypad.com
but as i'm a big big cam fan, I might be reverting to my N82 soon until a real Android-based cameraphone (or maybe MeeGo) comes out. I can't see myself going back to current Symbian now despite Gravity and free maps.
Steve / Chippy
chippysteve wrote:Contacts does sync. It just needs to be turned on. SE needs to create a guided first-time set-up app for the X10.
Nope, I turned syncing on. It just didn't. 8-) Give me *some* credit!
Agree that camera is disappointing. Video not bad though. 2mbps MPEG4 at VGA produces good results. Don't buy this for the cam. Less sensitive than an N82. Cam light is very poor.
Poor audio/video sync - ruined it for me.
Apps.Apps. Apps Apps! Google Sky, Email, maps, goggles, etc etc. Elevate the phone way above symbian. (I'm a 2 year N82 user but this Android experience probably means I won't be going back to Symbian)
Sure thing, Android is pretty well stocked right now. Apart from games.
Speaker is crap
x10 8-)
Screen is just amazing. Outdoor and in-car use is better than anything i've tried. Transflective.
Yup. Gorgeous.
X10 is something if you want to be a little unique, really need the fastest, best browsing experience, do a lot of reading (you can use this as an ebook reader)
slitchfield wrote:Nope, I turned syncing on. It just didn't. 8-) Give me *some* credit!
I always give you credit Steve 😊
Here are my contact sync settings. Everything kicked into action after configuring them like this.
About a month ago, just prior to buying an i8910, I was dead set on buying Nokia's current Symbian flagship offering, the N97/N97 Mini. However, inside the store and at the very last moment, I decided against these and got the i8910 instead.
I'm very glad I did as I absolutely love the phone.
While I've yet to pimp it out with custom firmware, although I will soon, even straight out-of-the-box I feel it holds up very well against the current flagships from many other cellphone manufacturers.
However, some of the upcoming Android flagships are tempting to me jump ship to that OS - the HTC Droid Incredible comes to mind as I write this.