My list of issues -- how Touch Pro should be improved

[etc]

After 6 months and 3 (three) Touch Pros, here is the list of issues that need to be addressed by the maker:

1. First, the battery capacity . This thing is basically a mini-laptop and the 1340 mAh cell does not cut it. It needs to be at least 5,000 mAh or even 6,000 mAh. I think 20 Wh would be sufficient, but 5 Wh that it has is a joke. I would tolerate the phone being twice as big for this extra capacity and functionality. I am not obsssed with tiny devices.

I am aware of aftermarket cells of 3,000 mAh but they are a patch, not a good design and expensive - I expect the OEM fix, not a band-aid.

I wonder if the engineers said -- "we need a big cell capacity". The marketing people said "but we want it to be small" given the trend. So the result was a compromise, this hack which is what TP is IMO.

I solve this by carrying 2 spare Li-Ion cells with me in laptop case, but it's not a real solution, obviously. What's the point of tiny device if you have to carry spares with you to get more than 8 hours runtime, even that's a miracle with the drain it has.



2. Slow buggy OS. Needs major rewrite, sometimes the call doesn't hang up or doesn't respond, "home" key doesn't take you home, etc.



3. Stylus falls out. Needs to be bigger with a bigger magnet. I had to put tape on it to prevent it from falling out so easily, if it snags on something in your pocket.



4. Better, more durable design , shock proof. The life time of this device seems to be about 6 months. I use it in business env. heavily, and it just falls apart after a while. Drop it once or twice, inevitably, and it's scratched. The shiny surface is destroyed. The USB port broke, incredibly. It's just unbelievably fragile. Need to make it mil spec shock proof and water resistant. The keyboard needs to lock in place and shouldn't move side-to-side.



5. Touch screen - don't know about that. Every time I talk, it seems to accidently start all kinds of apps. I hang up and see the browser started, editing contacts and whatever. The screen size is fine but touch screen is buggy. Often it will unlock in my pocket and start doing things by itself, like making calls, etc.

[Leukay]

Have you tried any custom roms? A lot of custom roms and radios can actually enhance the battery life and "buggy OS". I suggest you try out some custom roms, and then re-evaluate the device And, idk why your stylus is so easy to fall out..Mine is very stable inside the device. Also not sure about why you're experiencing a buggy screen. Could be defective, or flashing a custom rom might fix it. Sometimes you have to improve Microsoft's work, which shouldn't be the case, but is one of the main reasons i'm sticking with windows mobile.

[etc]

Originally Posted by Leukay

Have you tried any custom roms? A lot of custom roms and radios can actually enhance the battery life and "buggy OS". I suggest you try out some custom roms, and then re-evaluate the device And, idk why your stylus is so easy to fall out..Mine is very stable inside the device. Also not sure about why you're experiencing a buggy screen. Could be defective, or flashing a custom rom might fix it. Sometimes you have to improve Microsoft's work, which shouldn't be the case, but is one of the main reasons i'm sticking with windows mobile.

I am Really afraid to mess with the ROM or install any kind of special software on it, since the last (number 2) Touch Pro I had died shortly after I installed software on it. Maybe it's just irrational fear on my part, I know, but still. I go with the official ROM release. I have the newest ROM they officiall offer.

[Biggnaa20]

Originally Posted by etc

I am Really afraid to mess with the ROM or install any kind of special software on it, since the last (number 2) Touch Pro I had died shortly after I installed software on it. Maybe it's just irrational fear on my part, I know, but still. I go with the official ROM release. I have the newest ROM they officiall offer.

You should really open yourself up to trying some of the custom roms. I used to have stock. It's frustrating that the stock roms are so unusable and bloated.

In fact, I truly believe that Windows Mobile is really only usable if you dig in there add programs and hack/tweak the hell out of it. The additions of TD3D and other add ons still cover an antiquated yet powerful operating system. Unfortunately for neophytes, the only way to really get the best out of the phone is to break the seal.

If you are really nervous about flashing, just look around and you can find some good programs that would have solved some of the problems you mentioned. You can use those while you research how to safely upgrade your ROM.

And if you really still don't want to do even that, then you may want to look at another operating system.

nb

[RicoRich196]

Originally Posted by etc

I am Really afraid to mess with the ROM or install any kind of special software on it, since the last (number 2) Touch Pro I had died shortly after I installed software on it. Maybe it's just irrational fear on my part, I know, but still. I go with the official ROM release. I have the newest ROM they officiall offer.

lulz, get over your fear aready

[elmerfudpucker]

Ivisashield is a great protection for your scratch issue as well, Leukay is right about the reflash the os + radio and you will have a better unit.

[etc]

Originally Posted by elmerfudpucker

Ivisashield is a great protection for your scratch issue as well, Leukay is right about the reflash the os + radio and you will have a better unit.

I use the stock plastic thing that came with it in the box.... Eventually it will probably fall off.

My radio failed on the previous Touch Pro I had (I am now on Number Three). So I am terrified about touching anything on it.

In sum, great concept, poor implementation. I think they released some kind of Beta testing version onto the public. We are doing the debugging for them. This half-baked thing is not ready for the market yet.

Visting the Sprint store yesterday, they had this huge ad on the wall, something like "Be ready for anything".... I said to myself, Oh yes I am ready for anything, you better believe it. You never know what will fail next on it, what new and interesting bug you will discover and sharpen your troubleshooting skills.

[blazinazn]

Originally Posted by etc

Visting the Sprint store yesterday, they had this huge ad on the wall, something like "Be ready for anything".... I said to myself, Oh yes I am ready for anything, you better believe it. You never know what will fail next on it, what new and interesting bug you will discover and sharpen your troubleshooting skills.

Couldn't help laugh cause it's so true...

I think the TP has taken away my desire to tweak and mod. I just want something that works out of the stinking box.

[codybear]

Originally Posted by pastafarian

And you can add

6- Better external speaker quality/loudness. Even with all the audiopara fixes in the world, the speakerphone and app volume/quality is unacceptable.

7- Fix the heat issues that lead to charging issues. The only thing more frustrating than taking out a TP finding it hot to the touch with 1/4 of its battery life gone is to leave it charging overnight and discover it has little or no charge when you leave for work the next morning.

I could certainly add more, but what's the point. You could take this list, remove 1 or maybe 2 issues (and add 1 or 2 new ones) and paste it into the TP2 forum and it will be entirely accurate. But don't worry, it will all be fixed with the TP3 and WM7 . For me, the fun of hacking and tweaking this phone has been overshadowed by the frustration of its design flaws and poor performance/reliability. It can do so much, unfortunately all too often not when you need it. Personally, I'm done with HTC and WM in general. The only way I get another WM device is if I'm upgraded for free like I was with the TP.

I think you just described the TP2.
haha.

Originally Posted by etc

I use the stock plastic thing that came with it in the box.... Eventually it will probably fall off.

My radio failed on the previous Touch Pro I had (I am now on Number Three). So I am terrified about touching anything on it.

In sum, great concept, poor implementation. I think they released some kind of Beta testing version onto the public. We are doing the debugging for them. This half-baked thing is not ready for the market yet.

Visting the Sprint store yesterday, they had this huge ad on the wall, something like "Be ready for anything".... I said to myself, Oh yes I am ready for anything, you better believe it. You never know what will fail next on it, what new and interesting bug you will discover and sharpen your troubleshooting skills.

the stock screen protector sucks, I had to get rid of it right away. lol.

[etc]

Do you have a link to a better protector?

Not sure why I should care anyway... the screen gets scratched up --- so what?

I asked at the sprint store and they didn't have anything for Touch Pro specifically, but some generic thing that costs $10 and I wasn't paying that much for a set of plastic covers.

Oh yeah. Almost forgot --- the stock case is awful. I dropped my Number One Touch Pro many times until I replaced it with something else. The velcro fails. The case itself falls off your belt. I currently carry it in that case, in the pocket.