The Daily Priapism

From my other entries, you may know I am a bit of a phone fan, just one type though. Check out 6800 Preview and 6700 vs. iPhone

I was recently given a HTC 6800 as a replacement for the UT StarComm (HTC) 6700 that broke.

Size
The 6800 is thinner and lighter, no question, but is it enough? When I place the phone in my pocket, I still get the feeling that it may be a little too heavy for the shirt pocket, but it fits in there pretty nice. The antenna that was on the top of the 6700 was really in the way, so its gone, and from what I can tell, I may be paying for it a bit in reception.

OS
Windows Mobile 6 instead of the 5th version that is installed on the 6700. The new OS has cooler features and now claims to support Java applications, this allows Sprint to sneak in the music, ringtones, and game downloads. Along with Java comes the ability to use googlemaps, and when combined with a bluetooth GPS device, I can track my location live on the screen. Now if I could only talk on the phone and be on the net at the same time.

Buttons
The hardware buttons seem to have been placed in positions suitable for a new user, but coming from the 6700, they are odd. The old slider control that was on the right side of the phone is now on the left and includes a roller as well as a button. the power button is off of the top of the device and now on the right, along with the "connections" button that allows you to turn on/off wireless, bluetooth, and data connections. the email and browser buttons are now on the top face on the device right above the screen. The buttons below the screen, my real gripes, include 2 screen relational buttons, the start button, the ok button, the start button, and the end button. The problem with this setup is that being accustomed to larger start/end call buttons means that my fat fingers easily hit the wrong buttons when I am trying to navigate around the phone.

Keyboard
The keyboard just IS better than the 6700 keyboard. the backlight has a better response feature, and even has software controls to determine the duration of illumination. The keys feel better and have a better response when pressing down. The switch to the number pad (like a telephone, not a cash register) as shifted keys on the right side seems to make much more sense than the 6700's top row, shifted key setup. My only complaints with the kayboard setup are that the 2 screen relational buttons seem to be too close to the top of the keyboard/ bottom of the screen that has been shifted out from the slide. It makes them difficult to press, but maybe that is just me and my fat fingers. The final complaint is that because of my history with the 6700, I always feel like the screen should slide out in the opposite direction; at least its better than the 6600 /6601 which had a vertical sliding face to expose what I thought was too cramped a keyboard.

Overall
Aside from the muscle memory that I have developed over the past couple of years with the 6700, and the desire to slide the keyboard out in a different direction, the phone is a great upgrade and a welcomed refresh of what I believe is the greatest design for a smart device.

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