Worth the wait? Will it one day be "complete enough"?

[Cobaltikus]

The question was asked: Why spend time developing for a TP2 when you could be developing for phone with a faster processor?

BECAUSE OF THE KEYBOARD!!!

Those faster processor phones don't have one.

So WHY NOT spend time developing for the TP2? It's the best phone out there with a hardware keyboard. And the processor is not at all slow, it's just not as fast as the latest phones.

If you don't care about the hardware keyboard, then I'd say go ahead and switch phones - go for the best phone that meets your needs. But for those of us who don't want to give up the hardware keyboard they will hopefully keep developing this port until it has all features working or a better phone comes out that already has everything the TP2 has and more.

[00_MACKIE_00]

Originally Posted by Cobaltikus

The question was asked: Why spend time developing for a TP2 when you could be developing for phone with a faster processor?

BECAUSE OF THE KEYBOARD!!!

Those faster processor phones don't have one.

So WHY NOT spend time developing for the TP2? It's the best phone out there with a hardware keyboard. And the processor is not at all slow, it's just not as fast as the latest phones.

If you don't care about the hardware keyboard, then I'd say go ahead and switch phones - go for the best phone that meets your needs. But for those of us who don't want to give up the hardware keyboard they will hopefully keep developing this port until it has all features working or a better phone comes out that already has everything the TP2 has and more.

for me, the Moment smokes a TP2 and has a complete working Android on it and a slide out keyboard.

[theelite]

yeah processor wise the Moment is better, but the screen is only HVGA and 3.2"

[dishe]

Originally Posted by 00_MACKIE_00

for me, the Moment smokes a TP2 and has a complete working Android on it and a slide out keyboard.

Funny, most people I know who tried the moment had buyers remorse, and wished for either a) an HTC Hero or b) a Touch Pro 2.

Weird, huh?

But I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with most of you guys here... As someone already mentioned, the Vogue has a complete port working 100%. Bluetooth, A2DP, Camera, GPS, you name it. In fact, many people are flashing WM off their phones bringing Android into internal NAND memory. And all this happened AFTER the Vogue was considered obsolete.

When the Touch Pro and Diamond came out, Android on the Vogue was still a "proof of concept", much like ours is now. Fun to play with, not really ready for prime time. The Touch Pro 2 came out, and the EOL for the vogue came and went- but still there are dedicated developers tweaking and fixing Android on the 2-generation-old phone.
Why? Because some people actually like the design of the Vogue (it IS one of the smallest and most pocketable devices ever made), and because gosh darn it, some people don't buy a new phone just because the next best thing came out!

My point is that right now there are a lot of great Android handsets, but they all have pros and cons. There are still some things that the Rhodium is ahead with in comparison.
The keyboard is second to none (Moment's keyboard has space bar between letters on bottom row? no thank you- The Droid's is cramped and pushed over for a D-pad, found it very hard to type on... most other new android devices don't even have a KB at all, which is a deal breaker for me), the volume and speakerphone system is excellent (better than most smartphones I've ever seen), and the ability to dual mode GSM and CDMA as a world phone is still rather rare. Then there is the cute "wow" factor of the tilting screen (only sometimes useful, but nice to have). As much as many of the upcoming Android phones would be a step up in some directions, they would also be a step down in others.

In fact, I think the biggest gripe most people have with the Rhodium is the WM operating system installed on it. I've heard some folks claim that they wish there was an Android phone that came in a Touch Pro 2 body type. Well, we've proven that is possible. Maybe one day there will be an official phone released like that, but until then I see no reason for Android development on Rhodium to slow down.

Perhaps some of the early adopters who only owned the TP2 because it was the "latest and greatest" on their carrier lineup at the time will leave when the newer Android devices come out. However (and this is just an observation I made, I'm not saying this is always the case), the real hard core talented hackers/developers are NOT the types who jump at the next new fad device. They carefully buy a device, and then keep it around until it has no useful life before retiring it for something else. The Vogue would never have gotten where it is now if this were not true.

So, between the so-far-unmatched pros of the TP2 design, the packrat legacy mentality of talented developers, and the bevy of SERO users who won't give in without a fight, I think this project will go on for quite a while. Just my .02

[mlin]

Originally Posted by dishe

Funny, most people I know who tried the moment had buyers remorse, and wished for either a) an HTC Hero or b) a Touch Pro 2.

Weird, huh?

The Moment is junk. I know many people who are unhappy with this phone.

Originally Posted by dishe

But I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with most of you guys here... As someone already mentioned, the Vogue has a complete port working 100%. Bluetooth, A2DP, Camera, GPS, you name it. In fact, many people are flashing WM off their phones bringing Android into internal NAND memory. And all this happened AFTER the Vogue was considered obsolete.

You have a point. 2 things to consider:
1) The Android port was done when Android was in early stages and there was not a plethora of Android devices available on almost every network.

2) Maybe the Vogue was obsolete, but what mattered was in the eyes of one person (DZO), it wasn't. So if we have a similar genius willing to dedicate countless hours to the TP2 port then this may happen. But it comes back to this: with so many better devices coming available, why spend the time?

Only time will tell, but I am anticipating that this project will never reach 100% completion.

[digiblur]

Originally Posted by Cobaltikus

The question was asked: Why spend time developing for a TP2 when you could be developing for phone with a faster processor?

BECAUSE OF THE KEYBOARD!!!

Those faster processor phones don't have one.

So WHY NOT spend time developing for the TP2? It's the best phone out there with a hardware keyboard. And the processor is not at all slow, it's just not as fast as the latest phones.

If you don't care about the hardware keyboard, then I'd say go ahead and switch phones - go for the best phone that meets your needs. But for those of us who don't want to give up the hardware keyboard they will hopefully keep developing this port until it has all features working or a better phone comes out that already has everything the TP2 has and more.

No doubt.. That's my biggest hold out.. There's no nice Android phone with a decent keyboard. I fell in love with the TP2 keyboard. The Moto Droid keyboard is horrible!! It was worse than the Mogul I had in 2007.

HTC needs to bust out with an EVO that has the keyboard from their TP2. Now that's a phone!

Damn you Apple and starting this onscreen keyboard garbage! I HATE ONSCREEN KEYBOARDS! I don't care if it's big... I even hate the one on the ipad, so don't say "well..the EVO screen is bigger, so it is easy to type on". Nope. There's no physical buttons to feel.