HTC driver issue is LG's, too
John Chan | Mar 13, 2008
HTC was recently embroiled in an online protest because some users discovered that some of its newer PDA-phones like the TyTN II did not perform as well graphically as a few older models which have slower processors. Users were miffed to find out that graphic acceleration was not enabled with the relevant drivers even though the Qualcomm processor used had ATI technology built into it.
After much back and forth from the users and HTC, an interview posted on Engadget revealed that HTC will not release these drivers for the current crop of Windows Mobile 6 devices. Well, today, we had a chat with someone from LG during the Singapore launch of the KS20, and guess what? HTC is not alone. Like the TyTN II, LG's new WM6 PDA-phone uses the MSM7200 processor and does not have those drivers, too.
What's interesting to note is that even a company as big as LG chose not to pay Qualcomm for those drivers. Apparently, these manufacturers do not see the absence of this feature to be as big a deal as the people who use them. In our use of the TyTN II and KS20, they did not seem sluggish in normal operation. But the point made by those who support HTCClassAction.org is clear--they feel that as a flagship product, the TyTN II should not seem to be performing poorer than older HTC products.
So does this mean we'll be seeing an LGClassAction.org similar to the HTC one? We seriously doubt it. For one, the people who started the protest are from Xda-developers, a site dedicated to HTC-made devices. Furthermore, LG is a relative newcomer when it comes to GSM WM6 devices, so it's unlikely that it'll be as popular as the TyTN II. On the bright side, the KS20 looks good (like the Prada phone) and is inexpensive at just S$888. Anyway, those who purchase this PDA-phone because of its design will think of golf clubs rather than hardware enablers when you mention the word "drivers".
Talkback
ks20isniceshit says...
Wow, the customer that left the previous comment was really angry ! But the fact is that he is right: this device is a crap, I had mine exchanged for a HTC Cruise after two returns to the support without any correction and, moreover, without any feedback of LG about a new ROM. I am now working with an association of customer defense and other users to have this case bring to court since selling this device is customer abuse.
Mar 19, 2008 19:19
Wow, the customer that left the previous comment was really angry ! But the fact is that he is right: this device is a crap, I had mine exchanged for a HTC Cruise after two returns to the support without any correction and, moreover, without any feedback of LG about a new ROM. I am now working with an association of customer defense and other users to have this case bring to court since selling this device is customer abuse.
Mar 19, 2008 19:19
ks20isniceshit says...
I am the one who wrote the previous comment and must precise that if my comment is under the same username as the other one, it is only because I found this login with bugmenot. This is only if someone was wondering...
Mar 19, 2008 19:22
I am the one who wrote the previous comment and must precise that if my comment is under the same username as the other one, it is only because I found this login with bugmenot. This is only if someone was wondering...
Mar 19, 2008 19:22
ceevee369 says...
I know 2 guys in my company who will laugh green when finding the above article in their mailbox. They thought to be more clever buying the LG KS20 after hearing my troubles with my Tytn II
Mar 26, 2008 22:31
I know 2 guys in my company who will laugh green when finding the above article in their mailbox. They thought to be more clever buying the LG KS20 after hearing my troubles with my Tytn II
Mar 26, 2008 22:31
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ks20isniceshit
Are you sure you aren't a LG employee ? Then how much did they gave you for this review ? If neither of the previous is right - which I really doubt -, then at least have the honesty to really test the device and document yourself (do you know Google ?) before writing a pseudo-revew that may lead users to buy this product without having been warned. This device is actually plagued by numerous problems, and many users in Europe (where it was first launched) are returning them for exchange : - the micro becomes mute when switching between 2G and 3G - many applications do not work, especially because of GAPI and DirectDraw graphics API bugs (SPB games, PointUI, ...) - many device locks while browsing using PIE - many locks while powering on the device: you have to sometimes wait more than 1 min before being able to use it, and most of the time you will have to soft reset - about the soft reset that you will need to frequently do (my count is already 209 according to the device after less than 4 months, and it is not even accurate since I tried several hard resets to see if the problems were due to some installed software...): when the device is unresponsive, the only way to do a soft reset is remove the battery, since it is not possible to do it with the usual hardware pin. - 2D performance is sluggish, as with the recent HTCs : for example, PIE page scrolling is awfully slow, and video playback is barely fine with 320*200 resized movies. Do not expect to use it to view your digital camera movies without a desktop computer to process what you want to see on this crap. The situation is even worse than with HTC devices since LG did remove the hardware decoding support provided by the Qualcomm chipset (named QTV) : so you will not be able to use this mode under Coreplayer which provides very good result with HTCs. My 5 years old mio 168 clone, and my previous HTC P3600 are 2 to 3 times more responsives under WM, and do play movies bigger than 320*200 without a glitch. - their customer service is terrible - to say the least -, and they ignore customer complaints by playing the usual "we were not aware of these problems" when internet specialized mobile forums are full of customers explaining that they returned theirs because of those. I already returned mine 1 time and got it after 2 weeks without ANY difference. I will returned it one more time with the same result and will then have Vodaphone exchange it for a HTC like many angry customers like me (they have by contract to propose an exchange after 2 returns for unsolved problems ! :) ). Those that do not trust what I wrote here can verify it on forum.xda-developers.com, www.forummobiles.com... and www.corecodec.com... (video harware acceleration lack) My advice is to stay away from this crippeled device, unless you do not plan to use it and only want a nice brick.
Mar 19, 2008 17:40