Related
how do you guy's live with the chunky size of the unit and is the build quality as bad as some reports ?
thank you
i am on my 4th mda
1st: crashed a lot and keyboard not quite set right into the frame - wireless manager button sticks up slightly
2nd: metal top plate offset and scratching my ear
3rd: loud creaky hinge with loud clicks
4th: camera fault - big white dot on photo's
on my 1st exec i have a misaligned keyboard as with mda 1, and minor camera pixel dropouts
i think build quality is pretty awful, and will keep* my exec and get the mda swapped out for a vario or something.
* might take it back and see if I can get a fully functional device from them, after all I paid 99 pounds for it :lol:
I had one MDA Pro and now I have an XDA Exe and both were/are excellent, great quality devices.
About the size - I had all the previous XDAs so I got used to the big phones already. I'm not using any bluetooth headsets, and I always carry it in my jeans back pocket , no problems at all for me.
I am on my first and only Jas Jar - the thing is brilliant- no problems at all. As for size, I always use mine with a BT headset and voice command when making or recieving a call, so no problem there either.
I am on my 3rd Jasjar. First was taken away by my boss. 2nd had an Arabic/English keyboard and did not like it. Now on 3rd unit for over 2 months. All had excellent build quality. No complaints from me whatsoever.
Kind Regards
Mine seems fine so far. Havent noticed any problems and im usually one for spotting things. Was worried about dead pixels but both my wizard and uni are clear as a bell.
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
I think you should look once again :wink:
There is a calculator in PROGRAMS
and the MSN Messenger is in POCKET MSN, first position from the top
lloydalikes said:
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
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No offense but why would you drive for an hour with an MDA Pro in your pocket. Surely glove box, dashboard, passenger seat or a passenger holding it for you would have been preferable.
To be fair you cant blame the design for that. If youve had it in your pocket and obviously bent it in some way, then the screen being damaged isnt beyond reason.
Its no good buying one of these devices and then expecting it to fit in a shirt pocket like it isnt there. Its a big phone, end of !
As ive said before, the design seems ok to me and its everything I have expected it to be so far. Maybe in months to come I might find one or two shortcomings but not so far.
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
rottie said:
Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
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Totally agree with that comment! Just swapped from an MDA Pro to an XDA Exec and it actually seems smaller. I guess what they say about black being more slimming is true
rottie said:
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
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Couldn't agree more, I think the Wizard looks FAR bulkier, yet because it's a bit smaller and traditionally-XDA style, people say THAT's the smaller of that and the Exec.
The Wizard is a good phone, admittedly. However, a lot of excess plastic if you ask me.
And black is the ONLY colour for the Universal! hehe
Ant
I have the Universal and the wife has the Wizard, I am costantly amazed at what both devices are capable of. When using my Universal in the car it sits on the dash with the four rubber feet, screen open and on display, works and looks fantastic. I love the larger screen on the Universal and also like the 3g support. As for size I prefer the Wizard, It just feels more comfy to hold and use like a phone, I still feel weird holding the Universal to my ear, I don't use a BT headset yet, keep trying to find a surgery that can give me a bluetooth implant behind my ear :shock: I actually find myself using the keyboard on my Universal less and less now, and opting to leave it screen out and use the onscreen keyboard. The twist is nice but I am sure its is already getting slack. I guess my ideal device would be a hybrid of the two, wishfull thinking and totally over the top but, same size as the wizard, same screen as the universal and with 3g but the screen, imagine opening a wizard with the base being thicker than the screen and as you slide it open the screen tilts up and can rotate so its perpendicular to the keyboard so it looks like the universal, keep going and it ends up facing the keyboard and would close back down screen facing in, no need to twist the screen about a single swivel anymore.
I may even knock up a short avi so you can see it in action.
Regards
I am on the whole , pretty happy with my Exec
The only thing that bothers me is that it seems (only very slightly) slower than my old Magician !
I have had to learn how to answer calls on it (i.e if it rings while it is closed then LEAVE IT CLOSED TO ANSWER IT ! ) Which leads me to my only real gripe - No way of seeing who is calling with the clamshell closed
As for the size thing - anyone who buys one of these knows exactly what they are buying into - I personally have no problem with big phones wouldn't want the Exec any smaller
I've probably said it too many times... I love my phone! in spite and despite of...
When you love something that much, you get to love every bit of it.. bulky size and all. I still look sheepish when answering a call with a brick in my ear but I glow when all my officemates jot their notes on a paper while I just type it on my dopod900.
I still go berserk when the ringtone suddenly changes to another despite my change in the registry but I think I can live with going to settings and all..
So there, Im gonna borrow McDonald's slogan and say "Im Lovin' It!"
I do not see any problem with the size and build of the Uni.
I have the first XDA for 3 years or so, and now I use both the Uni and the XDA. Because I have been using the XDA so long, I do not have any problem with the Uni. They are both relatively about the same size and weight and same usage. Nobody laughes at me when I hold the big phone next to my ear, because I have done that for years with my XDA.
I laugh at myself when I noticed how funny its when having a bug (BT headset) in my ear now.
Overall I really like the Uni though it still cannot replace my XDA fully in certain environment where I do not want to take the risk of having the Uni handles the job. But in office and home, Uni is perfect.
Software wise, when the XDA came out, the software loaded were really buggy, it took years before finally everything became really stable, so with that matter of fact, I could accept Uni at its right now with hope it will be close to 100% perfect in the near future.
jasjar with no build or quality problems, and I love everything except the name. (I'm still planning to get around to using that sugar cube.)
I'm pretty impressed by the overal feel of my Qtek. The plastic feels very strong, it doesn't look or feel like a cheap plactic box. The rotating hinge works flawlessly, but when I put my screen in laptop modus, there is a very minimal play. But I guess this is normal? Can anyone confirm!?
http://www.msmobilenews.com/page/1236/
Any idea on a release date?
dangerous_dom said:
Any idea on a release date?
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Q3 2006, they say...
some more info here : http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/09/hands-on-with-the-htc-hermes-t-mobile-mda-vario-ii/
the specs are nice, but I can't say I'm too fond of the Magician-esque buttons/layout. One of the main reasons I got the Wizard is that the buttons felt a lot more accessible and integrated, and have a larger area to push, than almost all competing products.
i like this design a lot. what i don't really like, is the pink color.
It's not actually pink - it looks pink because they had a pink light overhead. I don't know -why- they chose to take their pictures under that light, but it might be related to...
It's a T-Mobile branded version. That's why the UI is pink. Just don't get a T-Mobile one - or make sure to load a different Theme shortly after acquiring it
Ive seen it available on some sites but just to buy
dimushor said:
i like this design a lot. what i don't really like, is the pink color.
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I think that the pink is reflected light from somewhere.
http://www.infosyncworld.com/eu/mobility/communicator/t-mobile_mda_vario_ii.html
Looks nice here, I like what they have done with the keyboard / numbers
I had one in my hands the other day at the tmobile shop the manager is pally with me and took one out of the box and it is A: a lot lighter
b: very fast on 3g
c:nicer keyboard layout easier on the eye
d:a horrible colour
eddieitman, u sure it was lighter? T-Mobile's website says it's heavier that the MDA (176g vs 160g).
Either way looks like there are enough improvements to warrant getting it, when it's time for my upgrade...
Anyone know if it has the same crappy stylus design that becomes loose after a few months?
well to me it felt lighter maybe just the way it feals in your hand as it is smoother.
I can confirm that the stylus is exactly the same as the vario
Doesnt look like a drastic improvement though, I mean, theres nothing on there that would make me shell out another couple of hundred quid to upgrade
I wonder if it wobbles around on a table top like the Wizard does?
chrisredmayne said:
Doesnt look like a drastic improvement though, I mean, theres nothing on there that would make me shell out another couple of hundred quid to upgrade
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i tested one of the prototypes a few months ago, an i was very pleased with the feel en touch of this one. for me it's worth upgrading when final version is here, but if i had to pay for it, i'm not sure if i'd buy it.
probarly i would, as a gadgetlover
i've recently sold my 8525 because i've gotten really sick and tired of its clunkiness. im sure some of you can relate, if not all, because its slow, heavy, and basically makes life twice as hard as it needs to be. i guess i'm just ranting for a bit here.... a good stress reliever =)
but i'm gonna admit that there was a positive side to this... because it was a good learning experience to flash and reflash and trying out different cooked roms. I'd like to thank all the cooks/chefs whose spent countless hours and efforts into these projects because i've looked at the kitchen and its not easy, and thank the rest of the board members for your help
but anywho i've moved on to a much simpler phone now... the samsung blackjack (i know it is still a windows mobile phone) so i suppose i'm giving wm6 another chance. its been a few days now and so far i feel like its a much improvement from using a clunky pocket-pc as a phone.
i'll still be visiting the boards from time to time because my brother has an HTC dash/excalibur..... and maybe to get info about smartphones in general.
Just for a minute I confused you for Mr Welker check his Avatar:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1624359&postcount=5
Mike
Good luck and keep us posted on how the samsung blackjack works out for you!
Good Luck, but I don't think I could make that transition. I use my touchscreen so much that when I do sit down at my regular PC, I reach up and touch the screen to go to links and then sit there feeling stupid when it doesn't work. Oh yea, a mouse!!!
hey thanks guys, you know what Steve Sharp, when i first started using the blackjack i kept having the urge to tap the softkeys on the screen, i guess i didnt realize how much i used the screen over the physical buttons!
i dont know if its just me but when i was using the hermes i felt the buttons at the bottom (including the talk and end buttons) were so disconnected from the phone unit.... so when i made calls i just tapped the screen, it kind of felt redundant of the button design...
anywho maybe thats i see what you mean Steve
My friend has a samsung verizon phone... not sure of the name, but it has a touch screen. other than it being extreemly fast even when memory gets low, there is something about his phone that you have to use the cleartemp program (found on this site somewhere) all the time. The screen is very soft and when you apply any sort of pressure you get the LCD rainbow effect...that makes me nervous about it breaking too easily. all in all its a very nice phone.
just i really like the Hermes. my wife has a kaiser and its nice, she never lets me try it out for any amounts of time to make any real decision about whether or not i like it more than mine. i know hers is allot tighter(hmm, i mean slide out keyboard) and feels more comfortable in my hands. I'll make a full report after we do a sim swap for a couple of days. she has duttys rom, probably not the current one, and i have K's full (it seems to be the fastest Hermes rom out for me, and the way i use the phone)
Lman
I got this gadget when it first came out. I really love chunky smartphones that let you do real work on them - that's why I like the x75xx as well.
Now that credit crunch is here, and there's less to spread around, sometimes a gadget resurrected is as good as a new one. So I got my Jasjar out of its wraps and first (second) impressions are really very good. For one thing, compared with WM6, it is really very fast. What I really like is the battery life. Putting a 3G SIM in the thing is a revelation. The SIM kills my x7500, or the TyTN II, but the Jasjar seems to plough through. Plus the massive extra big batteries you can get (I have got a 3800mAh one) mean that you can use the thing during the day for all sorts of extras, namely, music on the go. That is a real plus.
There are problems of course - the lack of memory is real minus, but installing as much as I can on storage card means I can get more out of it, and using Memmaid and shutting down apps when I don't need them wrings a little more performance out it.
Which brings me to what I wanted to say: the tweak for letting it recognise SDHC cards over 2GB - the reason I migrated away from it in the first place - means I have an 8gig card in it now, with as many ebooks and songs as I could realistically want away from the office. So a big thank you to the regulars of this forum who go to the trouble of developing and publishing these things. I am really grateful. I think this is one gadget that deserves to be resurrected, with a new version, the design with the rotating screeen to tablet is just superb.
So - not a complaint, not a problem, just thanks to the regulars.
rjstep3
I have to agree with you.
When I got my Exec (a £160 grab off eBay with a 4GB SIM card and all the accessories bundled) I must admit, I was skeptical. That screen, too flimsy. That layout, too buggy. That OS, too slow... But with some playing about it now runs a charm, a really nice phone to use. The only downside is having to hold what seems like a chunk of Lego next to your face when you want to take a call, and I can never remember which button is which on the spine to answer/hang up calls. So I always end up hanging up on someone before I've even answered it!!!
Right now though, it's a lovely phone. That flimsy screen can be tightened, that layout can be modified, and that OS has been upgraded to Tomal's latest.
All I got to do now, is get myself an O2 SIM which has 3G on it!! Still on PAYG, which I've been meaning to change for a while. Ah well - on the Christmas list!!!
Universal is the best device!
Even today with the new devices Uni still having one of the best screens, almost same processor than the actual ones, and a keyborad that no device can beat!
Long live to Uni! (Even if it´s big, but it felts more solid on your hand)
Very true. With its big size comes its power which is second to none. Other than memory I have no complaints with this big man. I use bluetooth headset all the time so no worries like holding it for long. My jasjar has gone through very rough handling. But still it keeps on and on. Seems like its immortal. Its been more than 3 yrs with and so many things like iphone have passed by, but nothing attracts me more than this. Some of the things which make it royal and rich are:
lavish night glow keyboard
solid metallic frame
cool brushed finish
tablet design with sturdy hinges
two perfectly placed cameras
I can spend all day writing on this micro laptop. In short, its a never ending love.
But I cant conclude without mentioning the contribution of the members of this site. Everytime I start getting a little bit bored with it, I come to this site and put on some noce softwares or flash it. My love with it becomes even more energized. Thanks guys for all your efforts.
Out of all the phones I've purchased, tried and sold...I sometimes wish I would of kept my O2 Exec.
Funny really. I keep threatening to sell my 'ol Exec.
I bought it from O2 when it was first launched and retired it 6 months ago in lieu of something a little smaller (Touch Dual Plus).
Every now and then I get it set to sell it, but I just can't bring myself to do so
I'm hoping Father Christmas will bring me a new Batt and SD card so I can resurrect it fully.
Long live the XDA Exec
Mav
Hi All,
I know this is a HD2 forum, but I was just looking for some opinions on the new Dell Streak now on o2.
I am pleased with o2's phone releases since losing exclusivity on the iphone, and this recent release is quite impressive (and huge!).
Anyway, thoughts please...comparisons etc.
Thanks.
i was looking at that today..
i was considering getting rid of my hd2 for it..but then again..my pockets arent big enough for that phone lol..
so i decided to jsut stick with the hd2 untill they can port android on it or tmobile gets another android device with a 1ghz processor
too big , low quality plastic easily scratches, lower ram ,only landscape
Dell are calling this a tablet to be in the same class as the iPad. So considering the streaks screen is only .7 inches bigger than a hd2's what does that class our device as? A mobile phone, a PDA or a tablet? By Dells reconing it would be a tablet but the streak is really nothing more than a PDA with a phone module. If you look at it this way i'd rather keep my HD2.
I would like to have a play with one to see what its like, but according to the specs, its is huuuge! Would dwarf my HD2.
My feelings are I have had my HD2 for about 8 months now and it is still top end smartphone on the market. Not many other phones I have owned I can say that about. Roll on the next 8 months!
Thanks for the comments so far. I do not think that the Streak's screen size is big enough to warrant calling it a tablet, also, the casing around the device just makes it bigger than it needs to be IMO.
IMHO, I feel that the HD2 is still the best device on the market simply because no two look alike once XDA possesses your soul, and I am still interested in it 8 months on.
Come on competitors, what else can you throw at us? Try harder!
This is exactly the sort of device that I'd replace my HD2 with IMO. Rather than trade down for something with a smaller screen, because lets face it, I don't think any HD2 owners would ever consider doing this after experiencing such ease and clarity with a bigger screen, so the only option is to upgrade in size, and this device certainly ticks the boxes for me.
I love my HD2 and everything that I've been able to do with it since reading & putting into practice all the tweaks that I've learnt of this site, but I'm now feeling like enough is enough as miss the android feeling as it's more 'with the times' than WM. Android itself is growing at an alarming rate and will no doubt be the number 1 mobile OS in a very short time, and the dell streak is the perfect device to complement it.
On a slightly lesser note, it's a shame the device didn't ship with 2.1 or 2.2 but I guess at the time of production, 1.6 was version on offer. I also think the price is good, so selling the HD2 and putting a few quid in seems well worth it.
Too big.
The step from HD2 with 4.3" and thin frame to 5" and thick border is the one that kills convenience and portability for not much. The HD2 is very comfortable yet just fits well in the pocket, but nothing bigger would, and on the other hand 0.7" don't change much in usability.
Android might be the (only?) interesting point.
Just played with 1 in store today for about 10'
It's really huge, not fit in pocket absolutely.
But the screen and colors somehow amazing. With TFT screen, the screen is like a bigger one of HD2.
At 1st, I like the way Dell skin the homescreen, smooth and fast. We can choose how many homescreen, and manage the background apps (somehow).
No double tap, just pinch to zoom when browsing, got flash too.
5mp camera seem not so good.
Looks good apart from it being landscape only. I prefer to hold devices in portrait unless viewing photos/movies, so this alone rules it out for me
Just done some more research and it appears that the Dell does have an accelerometer so should work in both landscape and portrait, can anyone confirm this? Can you type etc in portrait?
didnt know it was landscape only, I am sure this will change with an update though. I have to say I was tempted but I think android has a way to go yet, it hasnt even got a decent video player yet - coreplayer may change that soon though... (dont hold your breath though)
I want one. Hoped I could purchase one from the UK but I would have to move there to do so. Got to wait a month. I hate waiting for anything.
Diane
I'm really tempted by the Streak now. I love huge screen and rarely make phone calls, but I love Winmo too. It's hard to say goodbye with my HD2
I like big screens but the dell has a little too much unused extra dimension for me. I'll wait for the Sony Ericsson 5.5 inch android phone
Actually probably not, HTC will probably have a 5.5 inch out first with minimal bezel like the hd2, and I'd want to get that one.
I have been trying to replace my iphone for about one year. I haven't found anything where the plastic is as nice and I like the way everything looks on the the iphone screen. Tried a few WinMo phones, but everything always looked so TEENY on the screen. A few weeks ago I bought the Nexus One. For a day or two I considered selling it and moving on to the next device, but little by little I am liking it. [I wish the screen was bigger.] I was considering the Dell. I like the Android o/s - **LOVE** Swype. I am getting very good at it now. I had a tough time typing on the Nexus, but with Swype my 'Swypos' are minimal !!
I have Tmobile. Not sure what other phones I could use. Want to stick with Android though.
The only thing that impresses me about the Dell streak is the Gorilla Glass
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/29/dell-streaks-gorilla-glass-screen-torture-tested-for-your-amus/
xavierdemon said:
The only thing that impresses me about the Dell streak is the Gorilla Glass
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/29/dell-streaks-gorilla-glass-screen-torture-tested-for-your-amus/
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And to think that I was thinking of getting a screen protector for this bad boy.
I took my friend to go get one yesterday, well what a joke, the guys in O2 aren't allowed to sell it sim free (in my town anyway), they didn't have one on show and we wanted to see it and have a play we both had to put our HD2's behind the counter so they would let us play with it for 5 whole mins (WOW).
So car-phone whorehouse we went 6 of the guys in their didn't even no what it was, even though there was a big poster on the wall, the one guy in there that could help, said yes we sell it sim free £429 i thought thats not bad considering, so he go's in the back to get one, comes out all red faced I'm so sorry guys we haven't even got it in stock yet, were not getting it till next week when the Dell rep comes, (What a joke surely you should no if you have that brand new device in the store yet), so as we walked out laughing we though Phones4U, hahahahaha never had such fun in my life spoke to a girl in there she just look puzzled, then the manager came over, he asked what we wanted explained what it was showed him the leaflet and he said were not getting that phone mate tbh were a sh%t store and just laughed. So he didn't get one went home and ordered one on-line, morale of the story don't go shopping in a poxy town like mine.
After playing with the device got to say it is fun, but
Too Big to use as a phone
landscape only sucks edit(turns out Paul confirmed its not)
you're gonna have to use a headset of some form to take calls
screen is tuff as boots.
I'll stick to the HD2 thanks
The HD 2 was and IS the best Smartphone on the market TODAY, until the HD3 comes
HTC has the most experience in building WM-devices and Android ones and - except obviously raped and misprogrammed Network-Provider-ROMS such as O2, Vodafone, T-mobile - has the most stable performance. I bought mine with HTC-stock-rom, and since ROM 1.48 (and the great mods from the geniouses here at XDA) no freeze occured ever. It is serving me without any flaw all over the world, and this is exactly the same experience that I always had with my Touch HD.
@hoss_n2
You know what you really do post a lot of rubbish on this forum and seem to be seriously misinformed to so I'll answer you points.
too big,
Maybe for you it is but that's just your personal opinion after all for many others it's a great or even perfect size.
low quality plastic easily scratches
Really and you know this how? I played with one today and it's a great quality plastic and feels really good and it's to early to say if it scratches easily or not as no one has owned one long enough. If you mean the screen as well that's also wrong as that's made of Gorilla Glass and their was a video of someone attacking it with a ball point pen and no damage was done check YouTube or Engadget to see it.
Oh and that's not just MO either but that of others that have already got their Streak which includes Paul from MoDoCo. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive.
lower ram
Really as Paul has just been running some tests on it seeing as he has already Rooted it yup in under 1 day it's Rooted and it's showing 408mb of free Ram so where do you get this low Ram idea from then.
only landscape
LMAO just wrong nothing more needs to said here it works in landscape and Portrait modes don't believe me read this post by Paul on MoDoCo where he confirms for some one that the seesmic app goes full screen both in portrait and landscape ?
In fact read the whole thread for his first thoughts on the Streak.
http://android.modaco.com/content/d...-streak-thoughts-dump-got-questions-ask-here/
Having now seen one hands on as opposed to just pictures or videos it is not as big as i thought it was going to be, now if it's to big for you only you can decide but it has to be bigger then an HD2 to fit in a 5" screen.
Marc