[HTC Titan] drokkon:
Updated 9/18/2012

I started this post intending to post a few gripes about the Titan after using it for only 24 hours. I thought it was only fair to toss in some things that I like about the Titan. After typing it all out, this is just short of a full review! I'll add to these lists as I continue to use the phone.

Caveats:

This is my second Windows Phone, so I'm being much harder on it than I was on my Focus. On the other hand, aside from the ever-present accidental hits of the capacative buttons, I never really had a problem with my Focus anyway. ;)

This is, ultimately, a considerable upgrade from my Focus. It just feels higher quality build-wise, I love the heft, the massive screen is a dream come true, and the whole package isn't THAT much bigger than my Focus. Further, the software runs noticeably faster. This is the best phone I have ever owned, period.

Finally, I got this from AT&T for one freakin' penny, so I have no room to complain anyway.

Gripes:

CALL QUALITY: I haven't had consistent call quality. I've been told a few times that I sound muffled, but the other party is sometimes on a headset. Jury's still out on this one, as I'm not sure if it's the Titan or the other parties' handsets. UPDATE (12/12): I wanted to give it a few more chances before reporting this problem, but after two weeks I can confirm that the outgoing call quality leaves an awful lot to be desired. It doesn't seem to be as bad as some are reporting (and returning their Titans for), but I'm consistently told that I'm hard to hear on the other end. It may be due to some combination of the way I'm holding it or where I'm holding it, but whether it's up to my ear, on speakerphone or through the [wired] headset, I'm told I'm muffled. CRAPPYPANTS. UPDATE (9/18/12): As you can see from my grin list, I've never had a signal issue with WiFi or cellular service. Unfortunately, the call quality problem never EVER resolved. It's extremely difficult for people to hear me, and I need to repeat myself several times during any given conversation. It was actually made slightly worse, according to some, after I added the simple silicone case, but that doesn't mean it wasn't horrendous before. Worse yet, I recommended the Titan to my dad when it went on sale for a penny. Now I can't understand him and he can't understand me. "What?" "What?" "What?" "What?" GRRR THIS IS LITERALLY THE LAST OUTSTANDING, ANNOYING ISSUE I HAVE WITH THIS PHONE!

KEYBOARD LAG: There is considerable lag each and every time I use the keyboard. This is really weird, but the first key I tap doesn't do anything, and then it always "catches up" right after I type the next key. Subsequent key presses are fine. I know I'm a fast typer, and it only happens on the first key, but it's still annoying. UPDATE (12/5): This behavior has disappeared, presumably after the device has been restarted once or twice over the past few days. UPDATE (12/20): This behavior is BACK, even noticeable on the code input on my lockscreen—I'll push the first two digits before it "catches up." UPDATE (9/18/12): I no longer notice any keyboard lag. Unfortunately, the lock screen lag continues to be an issue.

RANDOM RESTART: The Titan restarted itself when I plugged it in to charge. (This was just 5 minutes ago, and it killed my podcast. Curses.) UPDATE (12/20): This only happened once and hasn't happened since! UPDATE (9/18/12): Like all Windows Phones, stability remains amazing. I'll have a random restart like every 6-8 weeks max. That said, as happy as I am with the stability, there was one crash way back in January that wiped out my phone completely and required a factory reset. I have no idea what caused it, and it hasn't happened again, but it was really sad. Thankfully my WiFi backup ensured I didn't lose any photos or video!

VOLUME LEVEL: The volume is too loud. I was excited that the Titan was going to have higher volume than the Focus, but it never occurred to me that that meant the lowest volume would be louder too. When I want to listen to something quietly through the speaker, 1 is too loud. I actually have to partially cover the speaker grille if I want it at a discrete level. When it comes to listening to things over the headset, things sound pretty good anywhere under 10, but if I'm listening to things in the quiet of my bedroom before falling asleep, even 1 is too loud. I just answered with my wired headset for the first time 2 minute ago and my wife's voice just about blew out my eardrums because the in-call volume was set to 10. Lowered it to 1, and it was tolerable, but I wish I could lower it further. UPDATE (12/5): Put a Christmas channel on Slacker yesterday and propped up the phone on a table where me and family were playing board games. It wasn't pristine sound, but it was sufficiently loud and clear to add to our ambiance. UPDATE (12/20): Volume is great for the AUX input in my car. Sound is pristine. UPDATE (9/18/12): The volume is great through the speaker, the few rare times I use it, but the lowest setting is still too loud, either through headphones or through the speaker. There are times that I turn a caller down all the way and they're still hurting my ears; and these aren't folks with loud voices either.

HEADSET: The AT&T version did not come with a wired headset. CHEAPSKATES! UPDATE (9/18/12): Still no headset. :) Thank goodness for the Focus headset.

VIBRATE: Maybe it's because this device is so much heavier, but the vibrate on this phone is weak—not nearly as strong as it was on the Focus. As I pretty much only use two settings, silent and vibrate, this is a huge problem for me. I've already missed a half dozen calls because the phone was in my pocket on vibrate, which I should have felt. UPDATE (12/20): This is still a huge issue for me, and I miss phone calls like crazy because I don't always feel the vibrate. UPDATE (9/18/12): Still an issue. I've just gotten used to missing calls.

ATTENTIVE PHONE: Trying out Attentive Phone, I've had a few issues. Flipping the phone over sometimes turns on the speaker, sometimes doesn't. Twice now, however, picking it from face down with speaker on doesn't just turn the speaker off but actually hangs up on the person I'm talking to! UPDATE (12/20): From what I can tell, Attentive Phone also causes the phone to vibrate for an extended length of time while in your pocket (or ring louder). This alleviates my gripe about vibrate (above), but the first few times it happened I thought, "oh crap, my phone is screwing up." UPDATE (9/18/12): I forgot it even had these features. :( Guess I'll have to try them out again.

Grins:

SPEED: Keyboard lag, screen sensitivity, and random freezes aside, this thing screams. I'm not seeing any software lag. I first noticed it in the camera app, when I took a picture and it was ready to take another picture FAR faster than my Focus would have been.

CAMERA: Speaking of the camera, it is fantastic. I'd say less saturation than my Focus, but again that's probably chalked up to the screen (see above). The extras HTC put in are awesome, and a large part of why I chose this phone (because my point-and-shoot is all but dead, and I intend for this phone to take its place, as my Focus did before it). UPDATE (12/20): Have taken some stunning shots with this camera, but I admittedly took some amazing shots with the Focus too. Please let me know if you'd like me to post any.

CONNECTION SPEEDS: Download speeds seem fine (yay "4G!"), Wi-Fi works well.

TEXT/FONTS/PIXELLATION: I am not experiencing jagged graphics/text or any visible pixellation, even on Internet Explorer with zoomed-out pages (as some have reported). Others have said that it's the icons at the bottom of apps that break down—if you look closely, maybe, but that's a real stretch. I recently noticed how crappy an app icon looked on gMaps, but since all the other apps' icons look fine, I have to pin that on the developer.

GLASS: I'm guessing that the verdict is that this has hardened glass, but not Gorilla Glass. I'm still not even clear what my Focus had, but as long as it's as hardy as my Focus, I'll be happy. After 8 months, my Focus screen was barely scratched. This screen still seems okay, but I'm keeping my eye on it. I've never had a single good experience with screen protectors. UPDATE (12/20): After 3 weeks of use, I've scoured the device and cannot find a single scratch, scrape, or any other kind of damage. It don't have a case or screen protector, and it either lives in my jeans pocket or on my desk in front of me.

STORAGE: Don't care about the storage issues. 16GB (aka 12.5GB) is plenty for me, and Live Mesh keeps everything synced between my computers, so I don't want/need to use this thing as a flash drive. If preventing expandable memory helps speed up the phone by locking down the file system and allowing faster memory, I'm all for it. UPDATE (12/20): Loaded up 1500 Christmas songs for a trip alongside my typical two-dozen podcasts. Phone had no problems.

CAPACITIVE BUTTONS: I haven't experienced nearly as many accidental hits of the capacitive buttons as I did on my Focus. I'm not sure if it's the Titan's size or the button placement, but this is a huge relief.

MANGO: Mango rocks. I'd laundered my Focus before Mango came out, so I've had to watch my wife NOT use all of Mango's cool new features on her Focus. Now that I have it, I'm very, very happy. "Multitasking" is great, and I'm a Contact Group addict. I hope they create App Groups soon.

HTC APPS: Very impressed by HTCs app offering. Makes Samsung's app collection look paltry.

BUILD QUALITY: Just to reiterate and buttons aside, the build is fantastic. I love the heft, I love the metal, I love how the screen and innards sit "inside" the back cover. UPDATE (12/12): Really getting used to the size, heft and materials. Feels great and familiar!

Grins formerly known as Gripes:

SIZE: One-handed operation is difficult, especially reaching for things on the far side of the screen with my thumb. Fine, I have smallish hands and totally expected this. Still annoying. UPDATE (12/12): Really getting used to the size, heft and materials. Feels great and familiar!

GHOSTING: Ghosting is an issue, at least for me. I don't think I'll notice it much, but if you look for it it's very noticeable. Some are saying the text "blurs," but I'm definitely thinking this is genuinely ghosting, as I'm seeing a white "trail" behind my text as I scroll. UPDATE (12/20): As expected, I do not notice this AT ALL.

SCREEN RESPONSIVENESS: Screen is not as sensitive/responsive as my Focus. The surface is smooth, but just seems the tiniest bit "stickier" than the Focus; I'll have to swipe or tap more than once to do one thing more often than I did on the Focus.UPDATE (12/20): I guess I've just adapted, because I'm noticing this less and less.

BUTTONS: The buttons suck. They are all far too flush. Like many reviewers have said, it's all but impossible to feel your way to the power button, and volume rocker isn't much better. UPDATE (12/5): I have to reiterate my complaints about the buttons. On my Focus, I could easily change the in-call volume with my thumb while the phone was held up to my ear. Now I'm using the tips of my fingers to frantically search for a volume rocker I can't feel. I'm still not used to the power button and not sure I ever will be. It's also worth noting that because this phone has so much front "real estate," it's actually tough finding the exact millimeter where the speaker is against your ear.UPDATE (9/18/12): I put a simple case on my phone several months ago, and although the white has turned a dingy yellow, it has raised areas where the buttons are. The buttons are easier to find and push, so I've had no problems since!

BATTERY: A 1950mah battery of the same size has already been found, which is only annoying because it means someone skimped. Right now the Titan seems to have a far shorter battery life than my Focus, but it's brand new, so I've been using it like crazy and know that this isn't a fair assessment! UPDATE (12/5): I have no hard numbers to back this up, but I'm disappointed with the battery thus far. The Focus seemed to last longer, and my WinMo phone from a year ago lasted much longer. I'll have to tweak some things to see if that improves anything. UPDATE (12/20): Two weeks later and I'm doing a complete 180 on the battery. Maybe it's the conditioning or the fact that I'm using it less since it is no longer "new," but this thing lasts forever. I took a five hour car ride and played Zune through my car speakers the whole time and it was only down to seventy-something from a full charge! My wife's Focus dies with much less use. UPDATE (9/18/12): Batter life is better than ever. Occasionally I'll turn on battery saver right away after a full charge if I need my phone to work for a long, long time, or I put airplane mode on if I'll be in a low signal area. The bottom line is that this thing, big screen and all, seems to last forever.

SCREEN COLORS: The only thing I'd heard about the LCD screen was the the blacks weren't as black as the AMOLED screens. True, but that's NOT the only thing different. Overall, the screen is considerably less saturated than my Focus. Not a deal killer, and I might grow to even prefer the more subtle colors, but I just wanted to point it out. Regardless, it is far preferable to the blue tint of the whites on the Focus S screen. UPDATE (12/20): As predicted, I have come to MUCH prefer the color on my Titan to my oversaturated Focus.

FREEZING: I've also noticed a few freeze-ups. Last night the HTC Flashlight app stopped responding all of a sudden; I think I just hit the power button twice and that brought it back. Luckily, none of the freeze-ups have required a restart (and no, these aren't SRS-related freeze-ups). UPDATE (12/20): This only happened once and hasn't happened since!

WINDOWS LOGO LED: Totally forgot this stupid little cosmetic gripe: whatever LED is behind the Windows logo is a smidge too close to the bottom right panel of said window. It's brighter than the other three quadrants, almost to the point of seeing the LED itself. Does that make sense? Maybe it's just my unit, but it's definitely noticeable and off-putting…just the sort of thing that will nag me for the next two years. UPDATE (12/20): Truly this is just a niggle. It's only apparent in low-light conditions, and I just don't notice it any more.