EVO 3D Day 10 Update

We’ve approached day 10 and I’ve settled into my EVO 3D, a few thoughts on device performance and other areas. . . 

Device Update:

Of the HTC specific widgets I’ve decided to set up the People app which consolidates notifications from various sources into one window view.  Yes this may seem rather redundant to the phones basic functions but it does create a consolidated view and I’m finding it quite entertaining.  I’ve taken pictures of each contact included in my landing widget and asked my victims to make strange faces.  Let's just say that creativity is not an issue with this group, if you don’t know my friend Tony you would say by his pic that I was mentoring a special needs patient.  The device is still humming along with no delays or system hiccups.  I have everything on it that I need from a day to day standpoint so outside of the impulse need for a new game from time to time this is as much demand as I will place on the hardware.  I can’t tell you how pleased I am that the device is performing like it just came out of the box.   This is the first Android handset that I’ve owned that hasn’t grinded to a halt after customization.  The dual core processor and massive amount of RAM are proving their worth and living up to the hype.             

The Wild Wild World of 3D continued

All though the device is so much more when you have 3D in your name guess what folks are going to focus on first.   Now that I’ve had the device in my hands for a while I’ve had some time to polk around the various 3D content sources available.  But therein lies the problem, it’s rather difficult to locate.  Here are the main sources initially available:

1.      HTC Watch App-  The device comes preloaded with “The Green Hornet 3D” which is backend supported by HTC’s content app called Watch.  The Watch application allows you to buy, and in some cases rent, movies with roughly the same new release availability as Redbox.  I’m sure in time this will be a good avenue for 3D film content but I wasn’t able to find any and unfortunately I wasn’t able to access The Green Hornet either.  I doubt my issues with the Hornet will translate into your experience as I’m pretty sure I hosed something up when I attempted to access it prior to the release of the content license and a system update to the Watch application was issued on 6/24.  If anyone reading this has success and gets to view the movie in its entire 3D splendor let us know what you think.    

2.      BlockBuster On Demand-  After having to entirely rearrange their business model largely due to Netflix and Redbox, Blockbuster is now streaming content directly to your phone.  Blockbuster’s content catalog appears to stay the most current with new releases and provides the option to buy or rent each title.  Pretty cool idea to have 3D cinema content on demand but the downside is I couldn’t find any specifically marked 3D.  I searched on 3D and several movies came up but none of them state if they are in 3D format.  Given the modest rental fee I’m hesitant to download anything unless I know for sure the content is 3D format.  I may just have to take a leap of faith and try it out, stay tuned.    

3.      Gameloft- Gaming in 3D, now were talking.  I previously mentioned the preloaded Spiderman content and after getting past the first level I purchased the full game.  3D imagery isn’t as dramatic for gaming so if other content drives your eyes nuts give this a shot. 

4.      YouTube-  Jackpot!  I happen to stumble onto a tutorial video from the staff at YouTube providing users how to post 3D content.  If you search on “YT3D” a slew of content will come up that will knock your socks off.   Most of the content is compatible with our devices but some aren’t.  If in the first couple of seconds the content is blurred or appearing as a doubled picture move on.

I’m still getting the consistent reaction of “holy crap my eyes. . .” followed immediately by a “wow” and a deer in the headlights look when people pick up the 3D imagery.  True 3D depth seems to be most apparent with YouTube content and your own homemade pics/videos so I would recommend starting your experience there.   Once I make the leap of faith I reference above I will let you know what I think of full length movie features.  

Well I’ve run a bit long on the 3D subject so I will end it here and save my accessory, sound quality, and keyboard use updates for next time.   See you on day 15!

Original Post Link:

http://mblspt.blogspot.com/2011/06/spotlight-on-htc-evo-3d.html

EVO 3D Day 5 Spotlight Update

It is the start of day 5 with the EVO 3D and wanted to touch on a few areas:

Device Update: 

I’ve had a chance to run wild with Android market downloads and I basically have everything loaded that I had on my Epic, which is roughly 40 applications.  A pretty wide range of stuff, which I won’t go into here, but includes everything from reading apps, financial tools, widgets, gadgets, and of course games!  On the subject of games I would highly recommend purchasing the full version of the preloaded Spiderman content, the 3D imaging is subtle and game play is addicting.   Getting back to device mods, on top of my familiar widgets from the Epic I’m leverage desktop folders to categorize app shortcuts.  I find that this system allows me to locate what I need quicker than pulling up a massive app list.  Now that I have the old familiars in place it is timed to start getting familiar with HTC’s goodies, stay tuned.     

HTC Sense UI:

In my previous post I commented on how much I liked HTC’s UI, and the more I interact with the phone the more I like it.   The processor and available RAM have a ton to do with it but the screens just seem to flow together extremely well and the options to customize the screens, including the lock screen, are much easier to manipulate compared to my previous Android based devices.  There is a laundry list of key features included in the Sense UI but I wanted to highlight a couple of them here:

1.       Carrousel window navigation-   This might seem inconsequential until you see it.  Gone are the days of having to scroll back the opposite way once you have reach the far right or left home screens.  The UI was designed to simply continue through your home screen progression continuously and the view changes depending on how fast you swipe.   The faster you swipe the smaller the home screen tiles become creating a carrousel like view of all at maximum warp speed. 

2.      Animations-   Sense’s use of screen transition and app start/end animations are the second piece of the secret sauce that makes the device so fluid.  Several other reviews have commented on the 3D aspect of the UI but you really won’t catch it unless you pay attention during home screen scrolling.  (nice touch but not visible when viewing set screens)

3.       Friend Stream-   The stream allows you to update the status on all of your social medial accounts simultaneously.  Nice little tool if you are over extended with social media accounts and want to provide quick updates.    

4.      People Widget-  This feature allows you to choose a group of contacts  and display them in widget form on one of your screens.  The widget provides updates with the latest from their social network status, and any missed calls or SMS messages from them.  This one is on my to do list so I will comment further in future posts.

Battery:

Unfortunately I have bad news here, on average I’m getting anywhere from 2-4 hours of use before my battery life meters starts to make me antsy.  In standby mode and extremely limited use the battery life is a little better ranging 4-6 hours.  As mentioned above I do have a ton of apps loaded to my device, which I’m sure has an effect, but I am rather diligent about connecting to WiFi when available, leveraging the task manager to kill unused apps, and only activating GPS and 4G when necessary.  I really don’t like modifying my usage behavior to make sure my battery will last so an extended battery can’t come soon enough.

That’s it for now, expect to see an update from me by on other topics by week’s end and again if there is anything you would like to comment on just let me know!     

Link to original HTC EVO 3D Post  
http://mblspt.blogspot.com/2011/06/spotlight-on-htc-evo-3d.html

Spotlight on the HTC EVO 3D

Salutations All-  The first device that we'll shine the spotlight on is the HTC EVO 3D.  As many of you are aware the original EVO was a very popular device so the next iteration has sizable shoes to fill.  When I heard that I was getting the opportunity to experience the device prior to launch I was extremely excited but at the same time I started feeling separation anxiety as I’m attached to my Samsung Epic.  I felt like I was saying goodbye to a good friend.   With that said since I have an unhealthy reliance on my Epic I will from time to time make comparisons back to that device that made me such a fan of Android.  In an effort to stay true to my mission statement let’s jump into my thoughts on the device.  I’ve decided to organize my initial experiences into the specific areas. Feel free to read all, pick and choose some, or simply run now while you still can. . .        

Activation   

Given the EVO 3D falls into the “smartphone” category I was fully expecting to have to walk through a 100 page manual to get the device activated and connected to my email and social media accounts but that wasn’t the case.  I leveraged Sprint.com to swap my device which was a simple process.   From there I simply turned on the device and was given straight forward instructions, via a wizard like screen progression, linking everything up.  So easy a cave. . . (better stop before I violate copyright laws)  No issues thus far, I will keep you posted as I get into really using the device more extensively. 

Hardware/How the Device Feels

The hardware and the Sense UI is probably where I am most impressed with HTC.  They have really done their homework and focused on making a very solid feeling device.   One of my only reservations with the Epic is it didn’t have a sturdy feel due largely to the spring based slider unit which the EVO 3D doesn’t have to contend with.  I’ll get into the keyboard debate later, patience young grasshopper, but the combination of the form factor and HTC’s design philosophy lends to a very quality feeling device in your hand.    In terms of computing hardware I’ve picked a couple of specs that are important to performance:

1.       Processor-  1.2GHZ dual core Snap Dragon

2.       RAM-  1GB  (yes, a whole fricken Gig)

So what does that mean?  The phone is fluid and fast, seamlessly transitioning between screens and applications.  If you have ever had an Android device that didn’t seem to keep up with the OS or appropriately run an app that won’t be the case here.  Keep in mind this is all based on a clutter free system, one that I haven’t dug my dirty fingers into and polluted yet.  As I cram the EVO 3D full of apps I will update you on how it withstands the onslaught.  Since the processor and RAM specs are entering laptop territories I’m anticipating I will continue to be impressed, stay tuned.          

Display

The superior display and the fear of needing a physical keyboard were the deciding factors on why I chose the Epic over the original EVO a year ago.   Now that I’ve conquered my phobia and HTC has upped the ante on screen brilliance and resolution the playing field has leveled.  I’ve done some limited side by side views of the Epic’s super AMOLED display vs. the EVO 3D’s QHD display and found that the EVO’s face has the slight edge.  (that’s saying a lot because the Epic has trumped every device I’ve judged it against)  I’m looking forward to reviewing playback performance from Blockbuster and Netflix streaming content to see how the EVO 3D handles HD content.  It is inevitable that everyone wants to know how devices stack up against the iPhone so I’ve listed the following display resolutions specs:

           

HTC EVO 3D-                                   960x540

Samsung Epic-                                    800x480

iPhone 4-                                             960x640 

I’m a bit of a Home Theatre nut so my standards are high when it comes to display quality and this device doesn’t disappoint.  All applications thus far are producing a bright, color correct, clear image.  Enough said.    

  

3D

I’m going to keep my initial thoughts on 3D exceedingly short because I want to really experience more 3D content before I bestow my incredible insights. .  .  I don’t want to short change you either though as this is the first thing my peers at the office ask about when they see the phone.  I’ve been able to experience 3D on the device in two mediums, the preloaded Spiderman game and the pictures I’ve taken.  The 3d photo content has drawn mixed reviews.  I liken the experience to those holographic pictures that were once sold at malls across America, once you figure out how to look at the image you get it.  It is not for everyone but for those of us that do get it the feature is amazing.  For now I will leave it at that and keep you posted as I progress through more content, the first of which will be the full version of the Spiderman game I referenced which is a blast. . . goodbye productivity. 

Battery Life

The phone displays in 3D. . . [smartphone user]- How long does the battery last?   The phone packs Gingerbread. . . [smartphone user]- So how long does the battery last?   This device can connect to 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, and is GPS and Bluetooth enabled. . . [smartphone user]-  Battery?   I can safely bet you that it is nearly impossible to read any review online that doesn’t mention the challenges that smartphones and their users face when it comes to battery life.  Several EVO users are already asking in posts if battery life has been address in the 3D variant so let me share what I know thus far.  Stock battery capacity has been increased from 1500mAH to 1730mAH and the Gingerbread version of Android now includes more functions that manage and kill programs useless running in the background.  With that said I will be getting an extended battery as soon as it is available, not because I don’t think the improvements won’t materially extend the hours of operations but because I am a chronic heavy user that has purchased extended batteries for my last three devices.  (I’m usually always running something during the day)  As I get past a couple of charges and break the battery in I will let you know what to expect, more to come.

I’ll stop for now and state in summary that I’m already starting to let go of my Epic anxiety and am really embracing the EVO 3D.  I’ve got several more areas I want to touch on in future posts like virtual keyboard use, HTC’s Sense interface, sound quality, and various apps.  If there is anything you would like me to review and mention let me know and I will work it in.  So long for now, as is the joy with any Android device I’m off to customize the heck out of this thing and load it up with more apps than I can ever dream of using!