Review: HTC Touch Viva
I was lurking around to get a low-end WinMo phone recently, then come across to this little monster, recently released by HTC in Malaysia. Pricing at RM1299 in a tiny packaging box, which is something quite unusual from HTC. (previous products from HTC have nicely, elegantly packed boxset…)
Out of the box, the package comes with very limited accessories/parts. You get an AC adapter, USB syncharge cable, battery, 1 x stylus, battery cover, CD and tiny booklets, that’s about it! Yep, no handfree kit is supplied. **weird huh?**
Look and feel
The unit is nice to hold, but due to the glossy plastic surface, it’s finger-print magnet! So beware, for those who does not like glossy surface, you may want to skip this. Size wise, I feel comfy when holding it, it is a bit thicker than its predecessor – HTC Touch, and I think HTC Touch offer better build quality compare to Viva.
The design is simple, very minimalism. You will get a camera hole at the back, a power on button on the top, a USB charging port at bottom and a volume rocker at the left of the phone, that’s all. No dedicated camera button or dedicated voice command button. Maybe due to the new UI from HTC, all the application can be easily accessible via the shortcut through the touch screen.
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s not very thick BUT still feeling thick due to the overall compact design of the HTC Touch Viva.
New TouchFLO
The interface is the latest enhanced UI from HTC, it is so snappy. HTC Touch users will definitely like the new interface, despite the lower end CPU was used in this unit, the interface response is surprisingly good. Well, for those ROM cookers… I believe you can get a cooked ROM from http://forum.xda-developers.net, as someone already published this ROM named Manila 2D to be installed to the older devices. So, if you still owning HTC Touch, don’t worry, just makesure you read up all the guide before you go and do your own cookings.
The navigation on the menu is really really impressive, does not really feel like using a WinMo device at all. HTC’s technical team really put in alot of efforts keep on improving WinMo device UI. This is by far the most speedy entry-level WinMo device I had ever used.
The screen’s color is vivid, the UI navigation is superb. Switching application to application was done in a snap. And thanks to WinMo 6.1, by default setting, the [X] – close button will kill the current running application when you click on it, aside of this… threaded-SMS is supported on this 6.1 platform. Thank you Microsoft!
Other than that, hmm… you get a youtube client application pre-installed by default (nice interface), a Opera browser is pre-installed as well together with Pocket Internet Explorer (you can’t get rid of this anyway). The supplied Opera browser win 2 hands down on PIE. Zooming is great and rendering of pages is fast!
I kind of like the Settings interface found in this device. It is so easy to disable or enable Wifi, bluetooth and other connections all in just one screen. The device also comes with a customised media player, built on top of the WMP, the interface is very iPhone-ish. Well, all the things are heading towards Apple’s way… right?
In summary, this device is great for those who want to step their feet into WinMo’s world. It is cheap and well built device, coupled by HTC latest TouchFLO. You will never regret getting one. For those who aim for higher specification, and better processor, should go for HTC Touch 3G or HD instead.
Pro
- Small and light
- Cheap
- Stable and snappy intuitive interface (new TouchFLO)
- WIFI B/G, Bluetooth 2.0 and GPRS/EDGE
- Good battery life
Con
- Glossy surface, finger-print magnet
- No 3G nor HSDPA
- Lower end processor used, video clip playback is lagging all the way (even the demo clip that comes with it)
- No handfree kit is supplied
Thickness comparison to Nokia E71
Best review of HTC Touch Viva! Thank you!
However, I’ve read on some website that people complain about the battery’s life… that they say it lasts almost 24 hours??!!? WTF? I don’t believe that!
Please tell me about the battery :)
Battery life is decently good, as it only supports EDGE as the device does not swallows 3G datagram. :) I use the phone about 30 minutes talk time + 20-30 minutes Wifi surfing.. it could actually last me 3-4 days straight before recharge required (I’m using Digi with this device, non-3G simcard)
if I’m picky enough I would say… the voice quality (is the hardware mic or software issue here? i have no idea..) is not on par if were to compare to Nokia or Samsung branded smart / PDA phone. but, this is pretty ‘acknowledged’ issue for WinMo phone manufacturers (except Samsung!). :D
Thanks for the information! I heard a long time ago about the voice quality in the HTC devices… I never owned a HTC phone until now… this would be my first (if I will get it :-) ).
You said in the review about the video player as being slow… well, I for one don’t care about it :)… I buy it only to talk :) And…. I have a Cowon D2 :D
Anyway, keep up the very good work! I’ve searched Google (you are on page 2 or 3 depending on the string used) for reviews of this phone and you are the only one that presented it from your point of view… and not just a standard presentation of its features!
Keep up the good work!
Hi, again…
I’m back with another question :)
Does it have GPS? Some sites says it has, other says it doesn’t :| I’m confused… Please tell me!
Ohh.. and, how does it shows the weather? It connects to the Internet? or it stays connected 24/7? Do you need a special service for this? Like BlackBerry or iPhone?
Thanks! Have a great weekend!
MNC,
nope, as this is an entry level WinMo phone, it does not comes with an integrated GPS chip, but you can hook up an external bluetooth GPS device if you want.
the weather info is pulled via http (as web service), it will uses your carrier GPRS/EGPRS to do the retrieval. by default, it is set to retrieve it automatically, but you can always configure it to pull the info manually. Just make sure your line has GPRS enabled, then you are good to go.
hope these helps
mr allen,
i’m glad to have found your website as i just bought the htc touch viva today. i’m a first time pda/smartphone user so i’ll appreciate any advice you can give me as to what/ how to handle this phone/PDA/ win mobile OS. right now it’s charging.
please excuse stupid question but any reason why the first charge has to be 8 hours although the batt is fully charged after 4 hours.
plan to use it mostly as a pda as i have a lot of stuff to enter/ keep.
thank you for your time.
regards, john
john,
normally, it’s advisable to charge your battery as long as recommended 8 hours(on first use) as to ensure the battery can perform at its optimum level.
but to me, as long as the battery is fully charged, i would just unplugged the charger and use it straight away. nowadays, phones have integrated microchip to prevent your battery from overcharging. :)
mr.allen,
thanks for the feedback. was wondering if there is any site that gives a step-by-step winmobile guide. as u can see i’m quite new and blur..please excuse the amateur questions.
am glad to have found yr viva site. how do u find yr viva so far?
appreciate if u can tell me how to connect to the internet..i have no wifi access here and there is a E icon which i assume is EDGE..correct? i work and live in batu pahat, johor. haven’t found any PDA expert here yet.
thanks.
PS. on maxis prepaid
hi,
i’ve got a touch viva for at least w week now. before i bought it i did a lot of research online and i tell you, reviews were fantastic. i’m honestly satisfied my new phone but the battery life is a disappointment. my phone only lasts for a day. 1 day and a half at the maximum. i made about three 5 minute calls, scheduled meeting for about 10 minutes, used sms for a bout 30 minutes then phone is on standby for the longest time. is there any abnormalities with the phone? kindly let me know so i could have it replaced (hopefully).
setting the battery issue aside, the phone is a must for 1st time pda users or for people who are on a budget.
I’ve had mine for 3 weeks now and i use it for only scheduling appointments and sms then it’s on standby the rest of the time inc night and yet batt goes low fast. the batt looks original with the SIS sticker. mine was charged minimally when they took it out of the box. where did u get yours? mine from digi mall RM1299 + free 4G SDcard + BT headset. u could ask your dealer about the batt replacement. any prob with syncing with PC?
the batt seems original. but it just dies pretty fast. i have no problem syncing with pc. both xp and vista works OK. you got a good deal having 4gbsdcard and BT headset. mine is just unit, usb cable, charger, manual/warranty card. i bought the 2gbsd card separately.
i’ll go to my dealer to have them check the batt…
batt is lousy wt most of these PDAphones even if ori. yet to see one with max function use and batt goin 4 3 days. mine reasonable only coz i don’t make calls/sms/surf only PDA use. how u find the phone overall?
I need your recommendations. Should I buy the htc-viva or should I buy other types of htc. Thanks for all.
Saad,
if you got slightly more budget, i would recommend you to go for htc touch 3g instead.
for:
- better build quality
- better grip (to carry/hold with)
- sleek and smaller form factor (compare to viva)
- better voice quality
- 3G capability
it was my birthday a few days ago and a wonderful friend got me the viva. i luv it to bits but i dnt ve a user manual so i cant even activate the bluetooth.i wld appreciate yo assistance of any kind
hola…I have a question. I bought a HTC TOUCH VIVA in Spain, but I wanted to change the rom language of it to english.
how to change it from spanish language to english?
tnx much..
linda,
you can get the manual in PDF form from here http://mobile.softpedia.com/phones/HTC/HTC-Touch-Viva.shtml or from the CD in the box. how do you find the phone so far?
Hi,
I bought a Viva 10 days back. The phone is wonderful and the touchflo really got me hooked. Its serving my primary purpose for buying the phone which is checking my office mails and easy navigation of various features.
I am facing following problems:
1. Battery life is really bad. I have to charge it everyday but still it sometimes discharges before the end of the day. I made few changes to make it last longer like reducing the brightness of the phone, disabling bluetooth and reducing GPRS traffic but still not much difference.
2. In my office I use ms office 2000 and the activesync 4.5 which comes with the phone does not sync with outlook 2000. I am not able to sync my calender and appointments. The mails also do not sync with outlook but I configured to connect it directly with the mail server through GPRS. I cannot upgrade outlook due to my office policies.
3. I tried to use the wallpaper on the home page to display as background on rest of the screens but it displays only on the HOME screen, not on other screens like programs,sms, weather. Also not able to change the format of today screen if I keep the touchflo on. If I disable touchflow then I can customize the today screen. – Sid
how do I sent music etc to another device or vice versa.
hi guys i bought htc viva before a month ..its really cool handset but whenever i tried to open any ppt in viva it jus goes mad, its cursor start scrolling down until i press down scrol…can anybody tel me the sollution for it????
im also having trouble with my htc touch viva’s matt life. im thinking of buying a spare batt because my batt dntlast for 24 hrs.
Hi guys, I brought htc viva before 3 days its battery drains fast even any program is not in use. whats the cause?
I BOUGTH HTC VIVA THE TouchFLO Home Screen DOES NOT COME IN MY NEW CELL PLEASE SOMEBODY CAN TELL ME HOW CAN I TURN IT ON
TOUCH FLO THI GREAT OF THIS CELL IS THE TOUCH FLO SCREEN CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME
Hi,
I have bought the htc Touch Viva and am a bit confused with its useage. Firstly the EDGE symbol shows always on my homescreen whereas I cannot connect to the Internet. A message saying the “third party terminated the connection” or “no data sessions avaible” appears everytime i want to connect. I was asked to send a particular code to the SP which I did but still am not able to connect on to Internet.
Also the phone sometimes goes dark and blinks on again…is that normal?
hi,
1.i work and live in batu pahat, johor.
2. where i can get any PDA expert here yet.
tq.
hi khyroL, good to see a post from a fellow batu pahat person. i work here too but got my set from PJ. as far as i know no PDA expert here…nearest would b JB….which set r u interested in?..viva or somethin else
khyroL,
you can pay a visit to PDAexpert, lowyat plaza KL. go to the one located at 3rd floor (sell cheaper) and bypass the one on the Ground floor (you need to act like a begger for discount).
When i plugin my handsfree to my htc viva it goes on voice commander and reconnects last dialled calls or starts playing Windows media player…why this happens??
i came across this reply….is it right ?
Yes, many HTC models tend to do this. As you insert the plug a signal is generated which makes the phone think that you’ve pressed and briefly held the handsfree’s dial button and so it takes it as a command to redial last number..
All you can do is to turn the phone off before plugging in the handsfree, or get ready to hit the call disconnect button each time you connect it with the power turned on.
Best fix is to abandon the wired version completely and use a BlueTooth handsfree instead.
In some countries (such as here in the UK) a wired handsfree falls foul of the laws regarding driving whilst using a handheld phone and the handsfree solution must be one which allows the driver to be completely physically separated from the phone and which holds the handset securely and safely away, i.e. you can’t have the phone lying unrestrained, nor can it be in the driver’s pocket.
Similar problems faced by others…
Problem for HTC Touch Viva Cell Phone
HTC phone is dialing the last dialed/recieved no. automatically
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I am using a HTC Touch Viva phone.. Its been just 20 days i am using this mobile and it was working really well till yesterday… But i don’t know what happened it has started dialing the last dialed or received no all by itself.. even thou when the screen is in off mode.. it unlocks by itself.. and one more thing.. it starts the voice commander also.. this is weird .. plz help me..
i have bought htc touch viva then i realized that it is on spanish or french language but i want it n english so how i can i changed it…?
Don’t buy this phone, it’s full of problems. The most absurd one is that it does not show incoming call when it remains ideal for more than an hour.
I need help my htc touch is in spanish how can i convert the ROM to english.. I hope you could help me. Edhil above has the same question
I just bought this phone for my husband for father’s Day but it is only in Spanish. Can you please help me change the ROM to english
good.
I have a htc touch and never did any kind of update. is very slow and block several times and have to restart it.
what kind of updates can I do to improve?
someone help me please:)
hug