Last minute Gift Cards @ Best Buy.HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: HTC Part number: Imagio
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The HTC Imagio is rich with both multimedia and business features, making it a great all-in-one smartphone for the Verizon globetrotter.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | In stock 2-yr Contract Price | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/23/2009 |
  | ||||
CNET editors' review
HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) price range: $199.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Edited by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 10/05/2009
- Released on: 09/30/2009
The good: The HTC Imagio has support for Verizon's V Cast Mobile TV and the carrier's array of V Cast multimedia services. It also has Windows Mobile 6.5, a slew of productivity apps, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, EV-DO Rev. A, and world phone capabilities. We love the huge touch screen, the 3.5-mm headset jack, the 5-megapixel camera, and the antenna that doubles as a kickstand.
The bad: The HTC Imagio's microSD card is located behind the battery cover and the call quality can be a little choppy.
The bottom line: The HTC Imagio is rich with both multimedia and business features, making it a great all-in-one smartphone for the Verizon globetrotter.
Verizon Wireless' V Cast video and music service bundle has long been a staple feature of its high-profile feature phones, like the LG enV Touch and the Samsung Rogue for example. But it is typically lacking in Verizon's smartphone offerings, so as not to detract from the smartphone's more business-friendly attributes. However, it seems like Verizon has changed its tune with the HTC Imagio, the carrier's first-ever smartphone to support not only the V Cast array of multimedia services, but also V Cast Mobile TV, the carrier's live mobile television service. The HTC Imagio also marks Verizon's first ever Windows Mobile 6.5 device.
The Imagio's multimedia strengths continue with a 3.5-mm headphone jack, a 5-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot, a beautiful touch screen, and even a kickstand for watching videos. We're also glad to see Wi-Fi on here in addition to EV-DO Rev. A. If you're a globetrotting executive, you'll revel in the Imagio's quad-band GSM capabilities as well. Thankfully, you won't have to pay a premium for all this; the Imagio is quite reasonable at $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and a $100 mail-in rebate.
Design
Though the HTC Imagio touts itself as a multimedia smartphone, it is not as flashy as other multimedia-focused handhelds. This is not to say it isn't attractive; indeed, we love the large touch-screen display as well as the smooth edges and tapered corners. But the dimpled bezel surrounding the display, which doubles as the speaker, and the thick plastic casing gives it more of a hefty industrial feel. Measuring 4.6 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighing 5.25 ounces, the Imagio has quite a sturdy construction and is not at all flimsy or cheap. The back of the Imagio is partially covered in a matte-black soft-touch finish, which gives it a comfortable feel in the hand.
By far the most stunning thing about the Imagio's appearance is its large 3.6-inch WVGA touch screen. It has 65,000-color output, 480x800-pixel resolution, and a smooth glass surface, which result in beautifully crisp images and sharp text. The extra screen real estate lends itself well to Web page scrolling and video viewing as well. Also handy is the built-in accelerometer that switches the screen from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone. This is only applicable in certain situations, though, like with the Web browser, e-mail, photos, and videos.
Even though the Imagio does not have the Touch branding, it does use HTC's TouchFlo 3D interface--you can read our review of the HTC Touch to get further details on it. Like that on the HTC Touch Pro2, you get additional tabs for the Calendar and Stock quotes, plus the ability to add and remove tabs on the Home screen. We also really like that the Start menu is presented in a grid view, which you can customize with different apps and settings.
The Imagio has a resistive touch screen rather than a capacitive one. We usually complain about this because resistive displays require more precision than capacitive screens, but in the case of the Imagio, we were quite pleased with it. The touch screen felt responsive and easy to use, even when we were just using our fingers instead of the included stylus. We even liked the onscreen QWERTY keyboard, especially since it supports XT9 auto word complete and tapping the keys provides haptic feedback. We do prefer using the keyboard in landscape mode rather than in portrait mode, however, as the keys are a bit bigger, thus resulting in fewer mistakes.
The zoom in/out bar underneath the display helped a lot when reading and selecting hyperlinks in the Web browser as well, since you could just zoom in easily by sliding your finger on the bar. It does take a couple of seconds for the page to render when zooming in, though. Underneath the zoom controls are the Talk and End/Power keys, a media key, the Start menu key, and a back key. The media key can be mapped to any media application, like V Cast TV, V Cast Video, or the music player. The keys are flat, but there is enough delineation between each key that they weren't hard to press.
The volume rocker is on the right spine and the mini-USB port and 3.5mm headset jack are on the bottom. On the back is the camera lens plus an antenna that doubles as a kickstand; simply press the release button and it'll pop out. This way you can set the Imagio on a flat surface and watch videos as if it were a portable television. Also on the back toward the lower right is the stylus compartment. The microSD card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery cover on the right side.
The HTC Imagio came packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable,an array of international plug adapters, a software CD, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
Features
In both multimedia and business features, the HTC Imagio brings the goods. Not only does it have a great camera and access to V Cast services, it is also Verizon's first phone to come with Windows Mobile 6.5 built right in. You get all the standard personal information management and productivity tools of course, like Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, Adobe Reader LE, a calendar, a task list, a voice recorder, and more. You also get Microsoft Direct Push technology that lets you sync your e-mail, calendar, tasks, and contacts via your company's Exchange server. Verizon offers Mobile Email for your POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts as well.
Windows Mobile 6.5 brings with it new features, like Microsoft's My Phone backup service, an enhanced Internet Explorer Mobile browser, and the much-awaited Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Though the Marketplace isn't live yet as we're writing this review, the application shortcut is already installed on the phone, raring to go.
Like the Touch Pro2, the Imagio is a dual-mode phone. This means it supports both CDMA and GSM networks, which is great news for Verizon globetrotters. The smartphone will work on Verizon's network in the U.S., but it will switch over to a compatible GSM network when it is overseas. (Do note that you can't swap it out with an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card since Verizon doesn't have roaming agreements with either of our local GSM carriers.) Since the Imagio has quad-band GSM and 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA band support, you'll get both voice and 3G data coverage worldwide. Be careful to check roaming rates, though, because Verizon's international rates can be quite pricey in certain areas.
The Imagio's phone features include speed dial, smart dialing, voice commands, a proximity sensor, text and multimedia messaging, and support for Verizon's Visual Voice Mail service. The address book is only limited by available memory, and each entry can store multiple numbers, home and work addresses, e-mail, birthdays, and more. You can also link a contact's Facebook profile to him or her as well. You can then view status updates as well as your call and message history with that person.
Supported Bluetooth profiles include headsets, hands-free kits, object file transfer, dial-up networking, phone book access, and more. Other advanced features include both Wi-Fi and EV-DO Rev. A, so you're never without high-speed connectivity. You also get GPS and location-based services on here, like Verizon's own VZ Navigator that provides voice-guided turn-by-turn directions.
The phone comes preloaded with both Opera and Internet Explorer. You can even choose between mobile and "full" desktop versions of each browser, which is great if you prefer loading full versions of Web pages rather than the simpler mobile-only versions. Though Internet Explorer Mobile 6.0 feels a lot sleeker and smoother than previous versions, we still prefer the Opera version because it supports tabbed browsing and has a more intuitive interface. Internet Explorer Mobile does support Flash Lite, however, which is a welcome treat for those of us who like watching online videos.
Perhaps the most surprising feature on the Imagio is that it supports V Cast Mobile TV, Verizon's live mobile television service. Only a few Verizon devices support this feature, and the Imagio is the first smartphone to do so. V Cast Mobile TV acts and feels like real-time live television; it uses the Flo TV service and not an over-the-air cellular signal, so there's little to no buffering time at all when viewing video. With the $15 a month Basic package, you get eight channels: CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, MTV, NBC 2Go, NBC News 2Go, and Nickelodeon. Some of the offerings are time-shifted and not live, while others are delivered specifically for mobile audiences. The V Cast Mobile TV service is not widely available, however, so you should check out the coverage map.
Also surprising is that the Imagio is one of a few Verizon smartphones to support the V Cast array of multimedia services. They include V Cast Video on-demand, which streams video clips from a variety of providers, plus support for V Cast Music with Rhapsody so you can purchase and download music over-the-air. Thankfully, you don't have to use Verizon's own music player since the Imagio comes with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. It supports a variety of music and video formats, like AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, and WMV. There's also a YouTube app if you want even more video viewing options.
We were pleased to see that the Imagio has a 5-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities. You can take photos in six different resolutions, and it has a slew of advanced camera settings like white balance, brightness, a self-timer, adjustable ISO, four quality settings, a panorama stitching mode, a shutter sound toggle, and a wide-screen mode. There's also a touch focus mode that only requires you to tap the screen for the camera to focus in on a particular point. Other settings include contrast, saturation, and sharpness. Photo quality was very good overall. Images looked sharp and vibrant, but low-light shots didn't fare so well.
The built-in video camera can record VGA quality video in four different formats (H.263, 3GPP2, MPEG4, and H.264). You can either limit the video to a certain length for MMS or "no limit" if you have enough storage. Other video recorder settings are similar to the still camera. Video quality was actually quite good for a mobile device. Moving the camera around does result in pixelation and shakiness, but if you keep it relatively still, it's not bad. It's at least good enough for shooting the occasional clip for Facebook or YouTube. The HTC Imagio can accept up to 16GB cards through its microSD expansion slot.
Performance
We tested the dual-mode HTC Imagio in San Francisco using the Verizon Wireless service. We experienced mixed call quality. On our end, we enjoyed smooth, natural voice quality with little to no static. There was very little background noise as well.
On their end, however, callers reported that we kept breaking up, and would often miss entire words or sentences we said. When we did come through, callers said our voice sounded quite natural and the volume was good.
Similarly, speakerphone calls on our end sounded great, with pretty good volume and clarity from the phone's tiny speakers. Callers said that we sounded distant, and we often had to speak closely to the microphone in order to be heard. They also reported that our voice sounded harsh on the speakerphone.
The Imagio has a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7600 processor and was able to perform most tasks with speed. The accelerometer was quick to change screen orientation and zooming in and out of Web pages was also fast. We did experience some sluggishness, especially when closing down processor-intensive applications like V Cast TV, but the delays were minimal.
We were incredibly impressed by the quality of V Cast Mobile TV. Video looked sharp and there was no delay at all when loading channels. We can't say the same for V Cast video streaming. Though we experienced little to no buffering time thanks to the EV-DO Rev. A, video quality was rather poor, with pixelated and blurry images. EV-DO Rev. A also contributed to fast Web browsing. CNET's full site loaded on to the Opera browser in around 44 seconds, and we downloaded a 1.5MB song in just 30 seconds.
The HTC Imagio has a 1500mAH lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 5 hours and 13 days of standby time. The Imagio received a tested talk time of 5 hours and 55 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Imagio has a digital SAR of 0.498 watt per kilogram.
User reviews
-
-
Great smartphone with one crippling problem
by Rypper72 on October 17, 2009
Pros: Smooth, finger friendly interface.
Hides the disadvantages of WINMO well
WINMO 6.5 instead of 6.1
SD-micro card compatible
Beautiful screen
Responsive resistive screen - but no multitouch (see below)Cons: Old processor - not quite up to handling touchflo3d well
limited onboard memory (which some programs have to run in)
REALLY bad battery life - see below - with some workarounds
Resistive screen - so no multitouchSummary: Overall, I like my Imagio.
On the plus side, the interface is excellent. It shows a commitment by HTC to convert the stylus-only WINMO interface into something a finger could ...Summary: Overall, I like my Imagio.
On the plus side, the interface is excellent. It shows a commitment by HTC to convert the stylus-only WINMO interface into something a finger could navigate. Essentially the interface hides pretty much ALL of WINMO on the surface. However, if you dig down a bit, you'll see WINMO in there with all of it's stylus loving glory. In any case, for daily and routine use, Touchflo3d becomes the operating system. In addition, it's WINMO 6.5, which is better than 6.1 on many levels. (Google Windows mobile 6.5 vs 6.1 for more details).
Of course having an SD-micro-HC slot is great, but as any WINMO fan knows, there are many programs that will not run off of the card, and there is LIMITED onboard usable program memory available. It is what it is. If you want your phone to be your computer, you may want to look for a device with more onboard memory.
The screen simply defies words. It's great (despite having a color depth of only 65k - thanks WINMO). It's bright and BIG. It also may be a big power suck. Luckily HTC built in the now accepted features of a face sensor to turn the screen of when the phone is against your face, and auto-off timers etc. My wife (a iPhone 3Gs user says it easily outclasses her screen, and I agree) It's not OLED though (oh well)
The touch functionality of the screen is actually very good. It is a resistive (as opposed to a capacative) screen, and does not have multitouch features, but it does have great response. I can actually type faster on the keyboard (portrait or landscape) than I could on my i760 (which actually had a physical keyboard) with the same or ever fewer errors. It seems to register keypresses well and accurately. I would love the ability to pinch zoom and all that jazz, but the zomm bar at the bottom is a nice alternative, and works well. Navigating the web is reasonable, but a bit slow because of the processor.
The processor bears mentioning as a minus for the device. It's the same processor that captains many of HTC's (and numerous other) devices, and is really a previous gen processor. That being said, for most things, it's fine. But you will see some slower load times, and sometimes a pause or two as the processor catches up with the demands of the user. It's frankly annoying. 95% of the time for the average phone user, it'll be ok, but if you're a power user, or like to load up your devices with high power programs and surf the net significantly, you MAY be disappointed. This issue may be what makes me take the phone back to Verizon to await the Omnia 2, which has a much better processor (but possibly WINMO 6.1 - ack)
Finally, the wooden shoe that nearly made me take the device back to Verizon yesterday... and I'll copy from my own comment left on another review earlier...
"I too had the battery life issues with the Imagio, leading me to nearly return the phone. I tried everything that I thought would help, but continued to lose around 10% of battery charge every 30-45 minutes or so, leading to an inability to complete the workday with it. What helped was turning off bluetooth and outlook push, and setting my phone to CDMA only, which slowed down the battery drop to a trickle. What is weird is that when I had either of those services ON, my handset would get fairly warm, leading me to believe that it was burning either transmission energy, or CPU cycles on some non-essential task. (perhaps trying to connect with every bluetooth or cell tower all the time)
This is disappointing, and may be secondary to some misprogramming, and will hopefully be corrected with a software/firmware update. I still may return it and go back to my old i760 (which would last for days) and wait for the Omnia 2."
I hope that this issue is just a firmware fix away from being solved, but this is a serious PITA (pain in the kiester). I had resorted to carrying a USB to 5pin USB retractable cord around with me to charge from any available computer as I go. This was not really acceptible, and until I discovered the workarounds above, I was about ready to chuck the device. I still am not happy to have to turn off most of my FEATURES/CONNECTIVITY to keep the phone alive. A 1500 mA Li-Poly battery should REALLY last longer than it does in this device. I'm not the only one who's had this problem. When I called Verizon, they said that they've recieved several calls like mine. (and the extended battery is sold out... wonder why?) We'll see what happens, and I will keep you updated through comments on my review below.
Thus overall the phone is summarized as follows...
- Pretty phone, nearly as sleek as the iPhone
- I like touchflow 3D
- Slower processor compared to new phones on horizon
- Limited memory
- Nice responsive but resistive screen
- Craptastic battery life unless you disable bluetooth and outlook push, and go straight CDMA. (unless I just have a lemon or a bum battery)9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
HTC Imagio - The Best of Both Worlds
by DaHarder on October 18, 2009
Pros: TouchFlo 3D, Touchscreen Accuracy, Build Quality, V Cast Mobile TV, WinMo 6.5 Flexibility, Call Quality, Aesthetic Appeal, Browser Options, Marketplace, Media Player Sound/Video Quality.
Cons: Battery Life Suffers More Than Expected When Using Media Player Functions (but I do have an extra). That's It!
Summary: I was a dedicated AT&T man until I bought my 1st iPhone, a decision resulting in dropped calls, and fewer bars in more areas. The iPhone itself was ...
Summary: I was a dedicated AT&T man until I bought my 1st iPhone, a decision resulting in dropped calls, and fewer bars in more areas. The iPhone itself was plagued with issues as well, namely: abysmal battery life, poor/low resolution screen, mediocre media player sound/video quality and the like, but... I stuck it out through 2 generations of the phone hoping things would improve - They Didn't!
When I heard that the HTC Imagio was coming to the Verizon Network, I eagerly awaited its arrival, ordering one the second it become available.
Well, I've had it for a bit over a week now, and could not be happier. The Verizon Imagio is everything I expected, and so much more.
1. The build quality is simply impeccable, with a nice weightiness and solidity that makes my former phone seems rather wimpy/cheap by comparison.
2. My Imagio truly looks the part of a serious phone, with very few impractical 'blingy/shiny bits' that look fine for the 1st two minutes of ownership, but smudge and scratch very easily thereafter.
3. The HTC TouchFlo 3D interface is masterfully wrought, as forward-looking as it is a pleasure to use. Every menu holds another aesthetic/functional surprise, one's that make my previous 'grid-locked' experience with my iPhone look like some left-over remnant from 2005 (which, of course, it is). Honestly, one would hardly recognize TouchFlo 3D as having any relationship to WinMo 6.5 if not for the little Windows icon in the upper left-hand corner.
4. Having used a capacitive screen for so long, I'd forgotten how nice a truly well-done resistive display could be. The Imagio's screen ranks up there with the very best I've ever had the pleasure of using. 3.6 inches of awesome technology. The display is highly accurate, the resolution 480 x 800 (true 16:9 widescreen) is simply stunning, and having the choice of using either a finger, or (for those times when typing accuracy/speed is essential) the included stylus is very nice. Hint: Choice Is Certainly Good.
5. (Speaking of 'Choice') HTC saw fit to include both Opera as well as IE6 Mobile on the Imagio. Personally, I prefer Opera, but knowing that IE is there (in addition to any other browser one might install) just shows that Verizon/HTC really cares about offering their customers the mobile browsing experience most to their liking. It's refreshing, and certainly better than being relegated to a single browser such as Safari.
6. Yet another pleasant surprise is the 'choice' of media players HTC allows on the Imagio. The induced media player apps are fine (Windows Media Player and HTC's), but I chose Kinoma Player. Kinoma is easily the most flexible, well thought-out media player I've had the pleasure of using on a mobile phone, and it handles every codec I throw its way without complaint. The integrated social media apps included in the app are thoughtfully implemented as well, making this the true WinMo 'Killer App" - IMO.
7. Another aspect of my Imagio that came as a surprise is the excellent sound and video playback quality. I'm extremely critical when it comes to media player sound quality, and abhorred the lackluster sound of my iPhone. With my Imagio, I'm very happy, it's well-balanced, lively, powerful, and very 'musical' sounding even at lower bit rates. The video playback on the 480 x 800 display is also top-notch, with nicely saturated colors, zero pixelization, and smooth frame rates. It's an entirely different/better experience than my previous phone at a mere 320 x 480 pixels.
8. I'd be remiss if I didn't comment about the core functionality of a mobile phone: the call quality. In a word - Spectacular! My previous carrier experience was extremely disappointing, with zero bars in more places than I could count, constant dropped calls, and spotty customer service, but with verizon, that's all changed. Every call has been as clear as can be, with no drop-outs or anything call-prohibitive. No matter where I've traveled on the West Coast, I've maintain a strong signal, even my (wonderfully) V Cast TV always connects and looks as good as my many of my pre-recorded videos. All those things I heard about Verizon's service have been confirmed.
In Summary: I'm very happy with my verizon/HTC Imagio, and consider it a quantum leap (in the right direction) over my iPhone 3G. It offers everything I could want (at this point) from a mobile calling device, plus countless extras (Opera, Kinoma, V Cast TV, FM radio, True File Browser, 480 x 800 resolution, Excellent 'Resistive' Touchscreen, et al). Sure, the battery life does suffer when playing media files, but at least with my Imagio, I have the option of carrying an extra battery, or even buying one of higher capacity in the future if I so choose (couldn't do that with my iPhone).
Above all, my Verizon Imagio does the one thing my iPhone never did/could... It gives me CHOICES. The choice of input method, browser, media player, and when/where I can actually make/receive calls. This One's A Keeper!4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
An amazing mobile experience
Pros: Very intuitive and responsive touch screen. Good battery life compared to other PDA/Smart Phones. Windows Mobile 6.5 adds alot of needed features. Great Picture and video quality. Good call quality
Cons: Texting and typing needs getting used to. Windows Mobile market place needs more free applications.
Summary: This is one of the few touch screen phones that I can say is almost flawless. It's amazing in every aspect and for the week that I have it ...
Summary: This is one of the few touch screen phones that I can say is almost flawless. It's amazing in every aspect and for the week that I have it now I faced no problems.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
This phone is excellent!
by hoosiergurl on October 9, 2009
Pros: I had a Env2 previously so not to much experience with touch screen phones. The ease of this was amazing. easy to learn and great internet on the phone i love it!
Cons: really hadn't had it long enough to have to much to say about this so far.
Summary: Excellent phone, easy to use and get used to and love the speed i was impressed with how well it does for a phone! There are some times where it ...
Summary: Excellent phone, easy to use and get used to and love the speed i was impressed with how well it does for a phone! There are some times where it is a bit slow but it's a small phone accessing the internet so it's not enough to get upset over. So far i would def recommend this phone!
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
I wanted to love this phone this but...
by jmikereal on October 13, 2009
Pros: Packed with features including long-awaited VCast for smartphones; great feel in your hand; beautiful screen; WinMo 6.5
Cons: Not enough memory/sluggish performance; lack of customization of TouchFlo interface; no D-pad; no on/off button
Summary: I really wanted to love this phone. I always thought if they released the TouchPro 2 without a physical keyboard, I would definitely get it; and the Imagio appeared to ...
Summary: I really wanted to love this phone. I always thought if they released the TouchPro 2 without a physical keyboard, I would definitely get it; and the Imagio appeared to be that with VCast. I has a great screen, great feel, and all the features you could want, including WinMo 6.5. Even the TouchFlo 3D interface is cool.
The problem is that package has some serious flaws in my view. First of all, it appears that WinMo 6.5 is a resource hog because I got several "lack of resources" messages when I wanted to open a web page and the phone was only running one app. The performance was uniformly sluggish, even if the TouchFlo interface was disabled.
Also, as slick as the TouchFlo 3D interface is, it lacks the flexibillity to customize the home page. You need to click and slide and click again to get to common features or applications. I want the efficiency of having the few critical apps or contacts right there when I turn on my phone. WinMo 6.5 couldn't do it either and the addition of a UI that could like SPB Mobile Shell just slowed the machine down even further. I see that HTC is correcting this flaw on the HD2 interface but its too late for the Imagio.
The other functional hardware flaws are the lack of a D-pad and a standard on/off button. The first is a great option for one-handed selection and clicking in spots that still aren't finger friendly in WinMo apps. Sure you have a stylus but who wants to use two hands when you can use one. The second is just another efficiency issue. I want to be able to click one button to turn off the screen and stow the device. This device requires a long button click and a selection. Just another of the devices inefficiencies.
Am I being picky? Sure, but sometimes these little issues can make a big difference in daily use. I use them a lot more often than I watch Mobile TV. I think you can be choosier now since Verizon has a bunch of potentially great new phones coming out in the new few weeks and months.4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Cool at first, but after one day, already frustrated
by bollingerlr on October 23, 2009
Pros: It's a nice attempt at an iPhone concept. Touch screen is very large and colors are lovely.
Cons: As with the other reviews, the battery life is eaten up very quickly. But I have two main complaints. Texting is awkward. Some programs are sluggish and even after a day the device froze and I had to re-start by removing battery.
Summary: In both portrait or landscape the virtual keyboard is awkward to use while holding the phone. I use my pinky finger to support the phone because it slips easily out ...
Summary: In both portrait or landscape the virtual keyboard is awkward to use while holding the phone. I use my pinky finger to support the phone because it slips easily out of my hands, but my finger cramps up in the position I have to hold the phone. In portrait, the virtual keys are too high up on the screen to be comfortable for regular texting. In landscape, the device is too wide to comfortably text. Also, in landscape, the space key is between the 'v' and 'b' keys, and I often accidentally hit that. Right below the virtual space key is the virtual key to make the keypad vanish. If you're not precise, you can accidentally hit that key in the middle of a text. This may be personal preference, but I find texting slower on this device also because I have to press the number/symbol toggle key to get any number or symbol besides a comma and period, and then I have to press it again to get back to normal letters. Also, I would like to be able to press one key to open a new text message, but that is not an option here.
As far as photos, it's great that it has 5 megapixel lens. I'm very disappointed that it has no flash. This degrades the appearance of a lot of indoor photos, and forget trying to take a photo in low light situations or at parties. I understand there are different advanced settings for ISO and such, but I don't want to waste my time fiddling with settings when I just want to take a quick photo.
I feel that this phone gets very hot during charging and during normal operation. That is concerning to me.
This phone is great for viewing videos on you-tube, but in web browsing I found the zoom bar to be delayed and less responsive than advertised. There is a setting to designate the responsiveness of the zoom bar, but after troubleshooting that, it still was slow and/or unresponsive.
Also, in less than a day of owning this device, the accelirometer lost calibration and would stay in landscape mode even when I tried to switch it to portrait. Then I attempted to turn it off using the "end" key, but it would only lock. I feel like there may be a bug in the programming. The only way that I could turn this phone off was to take the battery out, replace, and turn back on. If this is how a brand new, high-speed phone is acting in one day, I'm afraid to see how it will perform over the long term.
My inclination now is that I want to return it and get something else.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Awsome phone WM 6.5 is cool!, pretty fast, by by Storm
by jholder70 on October 8, 2009
Pros: WM 6.5 (also a con)
Touchflo 3d is very nice
Great connection with Facebook (almost a facebook phone)
Feels great in your hand.
RDP was something I wanted backCons: WM 6.5 ( get 7 out there already!)
1ghz proccesor would be niceSummary: Very cool phone! great apps in it already, WM market place needs more free apps. As far as a WM phone this thing rocks! is it an iPhone killer? Nope. ...
Summary: Very cool phone! great apps in it already, WM market place needs more free apps. As far as a WM phone this thing rocks! is it an iPhone killer? Nope. But if you are like me and stuck on VZW it is the next best thing! I promise!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Full featured phone
by TechLJ on October 8, 2009
Pros: WinMo 6.5 and VZW's GetItNow and FLO collection
Cons: no QWERTY physical keypad
Summary: Just a note about the CNET review - the fact that an ATT SIM card won't work in it isn't because VZW doesn't have a roaming agreement ...
Summary: Just a note about the CNET review - the fact that an ATT SIM card won't work in it isn't because VZW doesn't have a roaming agreement with ATT. It's because VZW locks out their domestic competition since they (like their competitors) subsidize the handset. If you ask VZW nicely, they should allow you to unlock it so that a foreign SIM card will work when abroad in a country without CDMA service. You could buy a prepaid SIM card in another country and save on some of those roaming fees.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Finally a Win Mo phone I don't have to tweak for weeks
by fordnfishin on November 6, 2009
Pros: Huge sharp wvga display, sense ui perfect, HTC's customizations, flexibility, design, 3.5 mm Headphone Jack (finally), capabilities, is not dated, Microsoft support and backing (finally), 5mp Camera, Multimedia, battery life, too many things to list
Cons: Verizon Apps in stock rom, touch flo 3d is out of date stock
Summary: If you like getting things done at work, showing off functionality to your friends, having a one stop multimedia hub, texting quickly, having everything on your home screen without having ...
Summary: If you like getting things done at work, showing off functionality to your friends, having a one stop multimedia hub, texting quickly, having everything on your home screen without having to delve into a bunch of apps, having the ability to completely customize, and having a device that in speed that makes the iphone 3g S and android device blush this is the right phone for you. I will try not to comepletely fanboy my review up.
Okay, so to be honest I was waiting for this device to hit shelves for a little over 3 months, I had high expectations, and in the beginning they were met, until just hours after I had the device. Tflo worked great but the windows end was buggy. So I consulted my local tech forum for answers before I returned it and was going to reactivate my touch pro which I finally got the way I like it. I'm a bit of a tech junkie I've had the iphone (not 3g) and it was the king at the time but AT&T neglected to have signal in certain rooms in my home and you can guess what happen from there. I went back to alltel because I love their service and I loved my ppc 6800 god bless it, alltel was bought out by verizon, bla bla bla. I ended up with the touch pro which had many features that even the iphone did not, took me months to completely iron out all of the problems. With my horrible eyes what really bothered me about the touch pro was the screen size. For a touch screen it was way to small and in that respect I missed my iphone. Then the imagio came along which I after playing with it for several hours became laggy and I wanted a device that came the closest to perfect right out of the box. Well in my tech forum they figured out that it was actually the verizon apps plaguing the program memory. I have removed them and since my imagio has been the snappiest most responsive phone I've ever owned. I have had it for 2 weeks and already I'm using hand motions to access programs and options, I'm typing at 45 wpm on the virtual keyboard (which I was weary about), I'm remotely accessing my pc, I'm recording calls, getting turn by turn navigation, talking my texts in, taking print quality photos, using facebook in contact integration, watching more youtube videos than I ever have in my life because the screen is so beautiful and verizon's 3g plays them so perfectly, backing all of my information up automatically with MyPhone, seeing my voicemail before listening, running iphone and android 2.0 themes and emulators, playing tony hawk pro skater, scanning work documents with device camera (legal quality), using my imagio for my main multimedia device for my home, car and work, and using skyfire to watch videos in browser with flash.
Have I said too much. If you are not going to use these features than don't buy this phone. The moto droid does not hold a candle so don't give in to over advertising.
Get more done. Get imagio.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
I Want to Like It
by ssif21 on November 3, 2009
Pros: Nice features. Good construction
Cons: In a word, the battery.
Summary: I have bluetooth, wi fi, and data push turned off. The battery dies mid afternoon with less than a minute of telephone talk. Unusable.
I ...
Updated on Nov 4, 2009Summary: I have bluetooth, wi fi, and data push turned off. The battery dies mid afternoon with less than a minute of telephone talk. Unusable.
I wish to retract my criticism. I've found out that the culprit for the short battery life was Norton Anti Virus and Software. With those installed, I got about 5 hours on a battery charge; with the Norton removed, I get at least 12-14 hours.
Updated on Nov 4, 20091 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HTC
- Part number: Imagio
- Description: With the HTC Imagio you can connect your way, watch your way and get things done your way. Watch a variety of entertainment from your pocket on a large, vibrant screen. The high speed connectivity and ability to use multiple media formats create a powerful integration of work and play. Make the HTC Imagio yours by customizing the home screen and adding applications to suit your lifestyle. You can also at a glance view streaming sports, news, movies, stocks, music and much more. The HTC Imagio lets you get life done, your way.
General
- Product Type Smartphone With digital camera
- Service Provider Verizon Wireless
- Weight 6.5 oz
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X / GSM / WCDMA (UMTS)
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 / CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Phone Navigation Buttons Navigation button
- Call Timer Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
- Additional Features TouchFLO 3D touch-screen
Communicator Features
- Operating System Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
Messaging & Data Services
- Mobile Email Yes
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes
- Included Services VCAST
- EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) Yes
- HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) Yes
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 5 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 5 megapixels
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 800 x 480 pixels
- Diagonal Size 3.6 in
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, AMR, MP3, WAV, WMA, MIDI, AAC +
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm
Battery
- Capacity 1500 mAh
Manufacturer info
- HTC
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HTC products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.htc.com/
- Address:
13920 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005 - Phone: (425) 861-9174
- Email: info@htcamerica.net
- Fax: (425) 861-1715
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/smartphones/htc-imagio-verizon-wireless/4014-6452_9-33773057.html){kind=small}