Got this phone yesterday and just charging it today. The manual says that when I turn it on its going to ask how I connect to the internet. It says I can use th network data service or my wi-fi connection.

Not sure what I should do here. Is it possible to use my wi-fi connection when in the house and then the network connection when im not? Not sure how it works.

Any ideas how long it will take to charge the battery for the first time?

Im charging it now and obviously the phone is off and there is no icon to show its charging other than a flashing green light in top left hand corner is this right?

Yep.

The phone will have already come configured to use the mobile network, so you will just need to set up your WiFi connection. Then, whenever you are in range of your home WiFi connection it will use that, and whenever you are not, it will use mobile data.

As for charging, do whatever time it says in the manual. You definitely have the HTC Desire? You shouldn't have a flashing green light (the light is fixed orange whilst charging, and fixed green once charged), and it's in the top right (ish), not top left...?

The manual says three hours. Sorry yes its a green flashing light in the top right corner. Is this wrong then?

Edit: actually the light is gone now and although its all connected to the mains its not showing anything on the screen now!?

The green light flashes when you have a notification (text, email etc) but should be constant orange when charging and constant green when charged.

Also, The battery may not last very long for the first few charges, but this will improve after to 7-10 days.

Seems very strange. You might want to double-check the battery is seated correctly.

But if it's been plugged in for three hours, you might as well just turn it on (I would keep it plugged in to the wall). As soon as it boots you will be able to see how charged it is.

As Kenny says, the battery life will be shit for the first few cycles - it does get better, though.

I am now charging it through the usb on my laptop and this is now working. It is showing a steady orange light.

Im not sure if there is just a problem with the plug they have given me at tmobile or if there is more of a problem whereby the phone doesnt charge when plugged into mains!?

If it charges alright through USB then I'd say the problem is probably more to do with the plug than the phone, which is not the end of the world (although USB charging is much slower).

Looks like im going to have to take the phone and mains adapter to tmobile tomorrow and get them to test with a new mains charger to see it it works with another one. I have stopped the usb charge now too because if it take it back tomorrow and it still doesnt charge with another mains adapter then they will have to replace the phone so I dont want to set all the settings up on it.

The first charge is approx. 3 hours - it tells you at the start of the manual.

You get a green flashing light as a notification to tell you you have a text, or a Twitter update etc. or if the phone wants your attention. If you've put it on charge the light should be steady orange while charging, then steady green when it is charged, but still leave it for at least 3 hours. If the light is flashing it sounds to me as though you've switched it on and are charging it while switched on.

If the phone isn't charging when plugged into the mains but charges via USB it sounds like a faulty plug. Take it back to the shop and ask them to change it.

Regarding the internet your SIM card configures the phone's internet settings regarding 3G etc. The phone's setup routine asks if you want to connect to a wireless network. If you have one say yes, and that way you're configured for at home and on your travels.

A word of advice: Be prepared to charge your Desire a lot. I have one and it is brilliant, but I have to charge it every night, and I generally have wi-fi, mobile internet (3G), GPS and Bluetooth all turned off all the time, apart from for a few hours in the evening when I'll turn wi-fi on. Add widgets to your homescreen to allow you to turn such things on and off with a single press. Ultimately the more you use the phone the faster the battery runs down. I don't use the radio, the MP3 player, and most of the time it is in my pocket for emergency calls and maybe ten or so texts a day. If I leave it alone and don't use wi-fi at all the battery can last me two or three days - ultimately anything network-related (wi-fi, mobile internet, Bluetooth) saps the battery. Tip: Buy a spare charger - a cheap "universal" one from the supermarket will be fine - and keep it in your bag / desk so you can charge the phone when you are away from home if need be.

No point turning GPS off, as it's the one thing in that list that doesn't drain any charge at all, unless it's specifically being used. (Everything else "polls", so drains). But yeah, your charging advice is spot on - this (like all smartphones these days) is a phone that certainly likes its juice!

It may not use any resources, but if I'm not using anything that needs it there's no point having it on in my opinion.

I reckon most people would want to switch on most of the things that you switch off. Otherwise, there's little point having s smartphone.

thanks for that pi!

OP- you might want to look at htcdeireforums or the like for the charging method that apparently boosts the battery. (I've done it and it did make a difference!)

Battery life:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=712990

I switch them on when I want to use them - I don't have them switched off 24/7. It's quite simple really.

So do I - it's silly to drain the battery unnecessarily, I have mobile switched on when I'm away from home and wifi when at home. The battery lasts all day now.