HD2 or iPod Touch

[BakuFunn]

My phone plan is ending soon, so I can get a new phone. Right now I have a glorified piece of shit as a phone: a LG Secret. I rely heavily on my iPod Touch (First generation, 8 measly GBs) to do everything. It's usually slow as fuck if I attempt to complete anything other than music, IMing, or just basic web browsing. Here's a shocker: I love iTunes. The integration with the iPod is astounding. It's easy to manage my music and apps. (I know, 8 fucking GBs is nothing. I can't store half my library.) Now I'm not defending iTunes, I'm just saying it's functional for me, very aware of the fact that it's mind bogglingly crap on Windows. It's fine for OS X, don't force your opinions on me. But I digress.

I use my iPod Touch for everything, and about fifty billion to the fourth power more times than my phone. I replaced my phone with a blackberry for a few months, but the battery would never last a day on regular usage. Granted it was an old model, but it was a popular model. The screen was horrible and the browsing experience worse than my phone's stupid browser (which takes fucking forever to render anything.) I love my iPod. Even when it freezes up and I'm stuck with a block of ice for a minute, or when the music stutters when I'm playing it in the background and I've been IMing for tens of minutes. General choppiness is the main limiting factor, and the small amount of memory does not help at all.

I can get a HTC HD2, or an iPod Touch fourth generation. I am not going to shell out money to get two devices that overlap in function, so don't suggest that. The HTC is a mighty fine device. It makes my eyes water with joy at the very aesthetically pleasing form factor and gorgeous screen, the only downfall being its outdated piece of shit we call "Windows Mobile 6.5" That may have sufficed if it could update to the imminent Windows Phone 7 Series, which looks promising and great.

But no.

Microsoft dropped the ball on HTC saying that the HD2, a perfectly great piece of sexy hardware will not be able to upgrade to the face-saving Windows 7. I haven't dived deep into the reasons why, but mainly because of the buttons. Windows Phone 7 Series require the devices to have a home, search, and back button. The HD2 has call, home, start, back, and end call buttons. There goes clear reasoning.


Now here's the killer.
The HD2 has a nice big community of developers creating a custom Android rom for the HD2. As of now, almost everything works: the compass, bluetooth, USB, charging, WiFi, 3G, calls, camera, flash, and more of that good stuff. The problem is that it's not very fast. The 1GHz Snapdragon is blazingly hair-blowing, where you'd have to hold on tight as you navigate the outdated and boggy Windows Mobile 6.5. If that's any indication, Android should be great. Essentially a few notches slower than the already light-speed Galaxy S. (I want that one too, but I'll say why I can't later.) It's a tad faster because it uses the next generation Hummingbird. The touchscreen on the custom Android HD2 freezes up at times and suffers from that input lag you used to get on your old Razr or other piece of shit.

The new iPod Touch is almost guaranteed to have the very pleasing retina display which I love so very much, a front facing camera for Facetime, and a snappy A4. For fucking sure I'd love that. They'll probably adorn the 16GB as the cheapest model, but I'll probably empty my wallet for a 32GB (also, if they make the cheapest model last0gen like the 3rd gen.) I don't know what makes my brain water more with geek lust: the sexy retina display, or the extra horsepower. I can finally use my iPod to do multiple things at once, and it'll just be so fucking pleasurable to watch my media on that gorgeous screen. Along with the fact that it'll sync with iTunes and be able to store most if not all of my media, I would've thought I went to heaven.

Well, wake up call.
I can't get a good phone if I get the iPod Touch, I'll probably either not get a new phone or settle for a run of the mill shitphone. But I'll have a kickass media experience every single fucking day. I can't get the iPod Touch if I get the HD2, and I'll probably stick with this Touch for another damned year.

The HD2 has sub-par multimedia capabilities with no iTunes syncing and just that polished Apple feel that I adore so much. (Sorry, but please don't say anything. I know you folks don't take kindly to opinions around here, but refrain, for your sake.) The HD2 just can't compete with an iPod Touch for me in terms of functionality. What can I do with the HD2? I just love Beejive. The best IM client I've ever touched, and I don't have to pay for it again if I get a new iPod Touch. I digress a lot, but you get my point. I like iOS experience. A whole fucking lot. If it was faster than my device with that screen (oh, that screen, that screen), it'll also be an orgasm in my mind. The HD2 is.. different. It's running a shitty OS. It's a sexy device, but still running a shitty OS. Why can't it run Android perfectly? I'm just thinking Android can match the functionality of iOS. Fucking HTC has to go ahead and deny a sexy device a sexy OS.

Why can't I just get another phone that actually runs Android and get rid of this whole dilemma? You see, I have this very nice internet plan. It is $10 for unlimited data. Yes, it's a great deal, but the nut-kicker is that it will not work with any Android phone sold by T-Mobile. Galaxy S? Badass phone. Out of the question. I'm not going to pay $30 for fucking internet on my phone. Sorry, but I pay $20 at home for DSL. No, fuck you T-Mobile. Luckily, some other phones work with this plan with some APN trickery, such as the HD2. I can get unlimited 3G data for $10. T-Mobile coverage is essentially everywhere in New York as well, so that's fine too. C'mon. Cheap shit. Unlimited shit too. The iPod Touch I can only use at home, the HD2 anywhere. The iPod Touch is one fucking sexy ass device though, so tough shit.


I typed this all out, why not grant me your opinion?


TL;DR: HD2 or iPod Touch 4th generation?

 

[tijntje_7]

The iPod touch 4g isn't even out yet

Or even announced at all...
But the next apple conference should be around this month or next month...
And apple's products most of the time don't really take a long time after a conference that they're buyable (sorry for the weird sentence xD)
As for the HD 2, I saw the phone, and it was pretty great

Especially with the android support

(goooooooogle

)
I don't know... I can only say iPod or HD 2 yes or no if the iPod 4g when the iPod 4g is out

But the 3G rocks, and knowing apple, they won't downgrade anything from the 3G...
They'll probably just take an iPhone 4, and remove the cameras, gps, sim, err... yeah, and there you go, iPod 4G

Edit: Well, they'll probably won't do that literally

they'll stuff the iphone 4 stuff in the ipod....

 

[raulpica]

Here's a little backstory.

I'm coming from an HTC Touch HD, and I'm now on an iPhone 4.

I used custom ROMs on my TouchHD, and they worked fine most of the time, but I can ensure you that it still sucks having to reset your smartphone at least every two days for everything to work correctly.

And even if the Android support seems good for now, I wouldn't still get one, with all those errors and problems it still gives. Also, the support for it might drop unexpectedly.

What would happen if you were to get an unlocked HTC Android phone and then put your T-Mobile SIM in it?

 

[BakuFunn]

The iPod touch 4g isn't even out yet

Or even announced at all...
But the next apple conference should be around this month or next month...
And apple's products most of the time don't really take a long time after a conference that they're buyable (sorry for the weird sentence xD)
As for the HD 2, I saw the phone, and it was pretty great

Especially with the android support

(goooooooogle

)
I don't know... I can only say iPod or HD 2 yes or no if the iPod 4g when the iPod 4g is out

But the 3G rocks, and knowing apple, they won't downgrade anything from the 3G...
They'll probably just take an iPhone 4, and remove the cameras, gps, sim, err... yeah, and there you go, iPod 4G

Edit: Well, they'll probably won't do that literally

they'll stuff the iphone 4 stuff in the ipod....
Yes, that's what I mean. It's a given that the new iPod Touch that will release in a few weeks will have the retina display and the A4.
The iPod event is always hosted in September before the holiday season, and almost always mirrors the iPhone's upgrades, in mostly main horsepower.

I'm thinking of getting the HD2 just because it's a great phone and technically I still have this 8GB iPod. I'm hoping the developers for the custom Android kernel and OS for the HD2 will have a fully working and speedy version out in a month or two.

EDIT: QUOTE(raulpica @ Aug 25 2010, 02:35 PM) Here's a little backstory.

I'm coming from an HTC Touch HD, and I'm now on an iPhone 4.

I used custom ROMs on my TouchHD, and they worked fine most of the time, but I can ensure you that it still sucks having to reset your smartphone at least every two days for everything to work correctly.

And even if the Android support seems good for now, I wouldn't still get one, with all those errors and problems it still gives. Also, the support for it might drop unexpectedly.

What would happen if you were to get an unlocked HTC Android phone and then put your T-Mobile SIM in it?

I don't really know but I'm almost sure that T-Mobile can see the IMEI of the phone and just display the dreaded "Subscription Upgrade Required" message whenever you do anything internet-related. Maybe it'll work, but I'm not going to pay out of my nose for an unlocked phone, where that cost can actually just pay for both the HD2 and the iPod.

Development for the custom ROM for the HD2 seems to be making huge progress. In just under a month almost everything is working. The thing about Android on it would be a leap of faith.

EDIT2: Support for WinMo is much worse.

You know, I could get an iPhone 4, but that 250MB limit and $30 monthly plan is something I refuse to pay.