HTC Desire now £179.99 payg instore @ Orange UK

[hecatae]

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/6130/imag0119u.jpg

hot uk deals thread on this is here: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/htc-desire-payg-black-brown-179-99-10-top-up-orange-store-possible-discount/999258

is it worth it?

[Ben]

Well, I'd imagine it'd be better than buying a 'new' mid-range android. But you'd have to be in the market for a new android at that price point to make it worthwhile... I mean, it's getting on a bit now. Suppose there's lots of custom ROMs available so can see appeal there.

[miffed]

I say it IS a good deal as the Desire is a lovely piece of hardware ! , you really don't appreciate it until you handle one. AFAIK everyone else (or should I say everyone important ?) has phased out the hard buttons and the trackball too ? I feel in the same position with Android as I did with windows mobile - where I didn't trust the on screen buttons to work every time - lovely as the Nexus S is , and never feel I can totally rely on the sensitives !
As mentioned , despite the N1 / NS being the "official" developer device, there is just as big (perhaps even bigger ?) developer following for the Desire ?

I say buy a Desire , slap CM7.1 on it .... and you'll have a lovely little device !

[Hands0n]

Yes, I'd go along with Miffed on this one. For £179 you could be the latest Wildfire or suchlike, but you wouldn't be getting such a capable handset as the Desire, dated though it is.

There is a massive developer following for the Desire, and again although it has been superseded by at least two follow-up versions it is still a great device for independent ROMs. I certainly would remove the Orange-branded official ROM and get CM or MIUI on the device. Don't hold your breath for the HTC Gingerbread, that has been as legendary as the proverbial Unicorn.

I'd be tempted, very tempted, if I were in the market for a replacement Android. I certainly would recommend it to anyone wanting to get in on the Android game.

Oh, and don't forget to buy an Unlock too.

[Ben]

See, this is what really bugs me about Android. Yes, if you're in the Market for one of these and you don't mind getting your hands dirty then that's great, but does this represent good value for the man on the street who probably isn't going to install a custom ROM?

[miffed]

Again I say YES - if you aren't the type of person that enjoys messing around with ROMS , then you are likely to be the sort of person that would enjoy HTC Sense !

I think it is great that we are now in a position that we can look at 1 year old+ handsets as viable , a for a good few years there was simply nothing worthwhile other than the iPhone - I remember posting on here how bored I was with the scene .
Now , this year I have bought an "old" Nexus S , and an "old" HTC 7 Pro , ... neither of which are "bleeding edge" but both hold my attention - I look on ebay and there are a few options that I feel , despite being a bit older , could possibly hold my attention for a bit ! (Moto Milestone, Nokia N8 , Samsung Galaxy S , Desire HD ) Nice to know that there is stuff to play with out there , if you are so inclined !

I think if you have £200 to spend on a new phone , then you couldn't really do much better than the Desire at this price

[Ben]

I definitely hear you re: 'the scene'. While customising Android isn't something I've gotten involved with myself (though a few years back it probably would have been), I can appreciate that there's a diverse and lively community built around Android. It's pretty much the open source phone dream I guess. Makes me think of the Matrix a little... the vast majority accept stock Android, but the few who wont accept that reality are granted real freedom ;)