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I want to know wich one you think is better htc prophet or o2 Atom!
imho;
speed, size = atom (though ive never used one)
batterylife = prophet
im pleased with the jamin but its just too slow.
The Prophet and the Atom both have absolutely the same battery life. In a recent benchmark that was done my Mobile01, it was shown that the Atom actually had a longer battery life (by 4 minutes) than the Prophet.
You can check their review here:
http://mobile01.com/newsdetail.php?id=2471
Speed-wise the JAMin IS SLOW. The Atom on the other hand is much faster especially after the latest ROM Upgrade.
The JAMin however has a really good camera. Its one of the best i have seen in its class.
THANKS ,I think I made up my mind I am going for the O2 atom but I have to find out were to get it first Its hard to get hold of!
universaldoc said:
Speed-wise the JAMin IS SLOW. The Atom on the other hand is much faster especially after the latest ROM Upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that the Prophet is fast and the Atom slow.
Atom is nearly there
Having owned an Atom for three weeks, I have to say it is certainly the best PDA/Phone I have used. Initially I was horrified at its performance (or lack thereof!), but the second ROM update has finally got it to where it should have been. It is certainly faster than my XDAII, XDAIIs and is up there with XDAIIi. It is also very stable, running more than a week without needing soft reset. I use Battery Pack Pro as a PPC management utility (known to slow down systems) without any real speed issues, and have it loaded up with a number of apps inc Cash Organizer, Collins Eng-French dictionary, Personal Vehicle manager, 1-Calc, and Illium e-wallet. They all work fine with WM5. I intend to load either Destinator or Navman once they get WM5 versions out. Co-Pilot already works with WM5 so I might use that if nothing happens soon.
Windows media chews vast amounts of memory, and everything slows when it is running. On the other hand, the A2DP works very well with my HP BT Headphones, inc track forward/back.
Two disappointments though. No BT Voice dialling, which I would have thought to be mandatory with a Handsfree Profile (the Exec has it!), and the Camera. The Camera is better than it was with the earlier ROMS, raising its performance to at least "crap" level, but it really a waste of time. It is slow to open, often crashes the system, is very slow to respond to a button press (lots of pictures of my feet as the shutter triggers up to 3 seconds after the shutter noise), and the white balance is all wrong, lots of red "flaring" and a blue tinge to the dark areas.
However, I didn't buy the system expecting to ever use the camera so that doesn't worry me. Photos from the Prophet seem much better so if a camera is important to you, give the Atom a miss.
Apart from the Voice Dialling issue therefore I think it is just about perfect. Its as small as many straight phones, has a reliable Bluetooth with decent range (unlike the terrible IIs with its 3 foot max range), has a robust Radio Stack (with reception as good as my Nokia 6230i, Atom has no external aerial connection although that never seems to make any difference anyway), a clear screen and very good stereo speakers.
A pair of hardware buttons to complement the WM5 interface would be an improvement, and a stronger battery cover wouldn't go astray.
Overall, I'm pretty happy, which I never was with the other models. It will be interesting to see what Quanta do with a larger form factor. A IIi sized machine with VGA and WM5 would be interesting! Cheers
People sang the Prophet's praises here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=38148
They gave me the impression that the Prophet is all that plus a bag of chips.
27 said:
People sang the Prophet's praises here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=38148
They gave me the impression that the Prophet is all that plus a bag of chips.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if that ,what about the speed and the fm radio and the size?
have a look at this; http://pocketpcdubai.com/i-mate_PPC/jamin/reviewp2.html
what is slow ?
hi,
i have seen a lot of messages saying the htc prophet is slow. i would like to know what slow means for each poster, slow doing what ?
is skype slow, is wmp 10 slow, or is everything slow ? any information of relative stability of the platforms would also be appreciated.
last thing, i have read that he camera on htc prophet is better. ok, but is it really any good for taking pictures, or is it just a gadget.
thanks for all help,
scott
i read both bad and good things about the omap cpu. in theory its meant to be good but in practice sadly its not very good. yes, software isnt optimised for the chip.. but who here wishes to wait for a year or 2 before all software has been updated? and before then, we may have 1ghz pocket pcs :/
i love everything about the prophet over my original jam.. but sadly the cpu choice htc made completely ruins what could have been the ultimate device.
ive tried the eten m600 recently but wasnt happy with a few things and now im unhappy with the prophet im tempted by the o2 atom.. one last chance for me to find the perfect device?
for now, i think i will be going back to my trusty and speedy jam and my exec.
I agree with Camtech - the Atom is a neat device though only with the latest ROMs is the speed acceptable. Earlier ROMS were painfully slow and most stores are now selling Atoms in Australia and doing updates for customers.
There are some reported issues most noticeable the BT needs work - units are reporting a noticeable hiss on BT audio (including A2DP) and a personal favourite, the BT used to work hands free with my BMW but after the latest ROM it doesn't! :roll:
Early adopter pains - the Atom has only been released (AFAIK) in Asia/Oceania.
universaldoc said:
The Prophet and the Atom both have absolutely the same battery life. In a recent benchmark that was done my Mobile01, it was shown that the Atom actually had a longer battery life (by 4 minutes) than the Prophet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have an Atom but can speak about the Prophet. I'm running into the 3rd day of usage without a charge and the battery is still 23%! I've taken a good number of calls, recieved a 4MB file over BT, had WiFi switched on for about half an hour and listened to about 2.5 hours of MP3s.
Not bad I think :wink:
I am thinking about getting a Prophet next. The speed issuse is my only concern.
I see that you can increase the clock speed on the Charmer since it's the same CPU I guess it will work on the Prophet. Anyone tried this?
This http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=40457 thread says 472MHz! that would do me if it can play DivX 624x352 video at 100% speed.
I have the Jamin (Prophet). And heres the skinny on the "Slowness"
It is slow. And it will be noticeable. But when people compare slowness from a device. We are talking about 1/2 second to a second slower. Thats about it. For normal operation, opening windows, menus, programs, the Atom will be .5-1 second faster. How much is that really? It depends on you. .5-1 second faster is VERY noticeable. But what does mean for your productivity? The Atom will get something done a few seconds faster.
Thats about it, really.
Now when it comes to running something while your doing something else. It may be slow enough to be unuseable aka SKYPE (if you had 1 second lag on a video game, that game is effectively unplayable, etc). But when it comes up usually when your Mp3 is on, your surfing the internet, and you suddenly get a call. Or when your GPS is on and you get a call. You will feel it lag, and it WILL still work. Your just talking about the feeling of "snappiness" etc, but the end result is not much different. The Atom will pick up a call and be in call on maybe the first ring. It will take the third ring maybe for the Prophet to pick up the call. Both while in GPS or something.
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?
So what if basic usage is about 1/2 second slower?
I won't get into the overclocking of the OMAP. Suffice to say, it makes it just as fast as the Atom/Eten when you activate it for specific applications, or keep it overclocked (which would makes all usage very fast).
Now heres the part where NOTHING the atom can do will overcome its inadequacies:
Lack of 850mhz. If you care about using your phone first, then you want reception. If your on Tmobile, congratulations you have no reception in many buildings, basements, rural areas, even suburbs. N/A if your not in the North America.
Crappy Camera. Utterly unuseable camera functionality and picture quality. My Jamin takes DIGICAM quality pictures, saves very fast, and the shutter time is close to 1 second.
Build Quality and Battery life. Whoever quoted that review which showed equal battery life, WRONG. That review has been updated by the editor and the Prophet is estimated to have about 25% MORE battery life. I don't know about you, but the first thing in a device like this you should be worrying about IS Battery life.
As far as I'm concerned, the Atom has NOTHING on the Prophet. With the glossy and reportedly cheap casing, lack of 850, and useless camera. The Prophet is my all in one 4GB Mp3 player, Camera, PDA, and phone. Overclock it when if you really feel you must, and then the Atom loses the one single advantage it ever had.
As a consumer, this was pretty much obvious to me. I wouldn't buy an inferior product. So I bought the Prophet after reading the reviews.
Just finished first 24 hrs with JAMin. Works well in all areas and only slightly slower than my JAM. Was able to use Tom Tom, play MP3 in MortPlayer and take a call. After call both apps kept working.
I was also won over by the build quality of this device over the ATOM and the £100 price difference!!
Melchior said:
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?
So what if basic usage is about 1/2 second slower?
As a consumer, this was pretty much obvious to me. I wouldn't buy an inferior product. So I bought the Prophet after reading the reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soo.. you wont buy an inferior product, but you bought a phone that sometimes doesnt pick up a call? That's inferior.
I couldn't think of anything more ANNOYING than not seeing/hearing my phone ring, and then 2 hours later realising someone tried to call me about something really important, or even more annoying, hearing it ring and not being able to answer it. If i had to call back every 2nd or 3rd person who called me, my mobile bill would go through the roof.
Ruxton said:
Melchior said:
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?
So what if basic usage is about 1/2 second slower?
As a consumer, this was pretty much obvious to me. I wouldn't buy an inferior product. So I bought the Prophet after reading the reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soo.. you wont buy an inferior product, but you bought a phone that sometimes doesnt pick up a call? That's inferior.
I couldn't think of anything more ANNOYING than not seeing/hearing my phone ring, and then 2 hours later realising someone tried to call me about something really important, or even more annoying, hearing it ring and not being able to answer it. If i had to call back every 2nd or 3rd person who called me, my mobile bill would go through the roof.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta be kidding me. Missing a call would NEVER happen, unless you are running SKYPE, GPS, Internet Explorer a video in the background. I'm saying the issues at hand aren't even really ISSUES. I'm not saying it actually AFFECTS the device under normal usage. Please READ my ENTIRE post next time instead of taking quotes out of context please.
Wth are you smoking with the phone bill argument? Are you magically getting charged for the missed call or am I missing something?
When people argue about the OMAP's speed and give retarded examples that either never happen or happen ONCE in a blue moon. First of all how many times are you going to be using a GPS (in your car) and receive a call. In such RARE circumstances, the only difference between the Atom and the Prophet is that the Prophet might lag a little more than the Atom. How many times will you be playing a video and suddenly receive a call? For all intents and purposes, the Prophet's processor copes with and WORKS for any sort of realistic multitasking scenario. The Atom's ofcourse works a bit FASTER.
ALL of this MOOT when you overclock. Set your overclocking preferences to when you open your GPS, or load a video file, or using the internet. Guess what, the Atom no longer has ANY advantage if you choose to do this.
Unfortunately for the Atom, you can't overclock OR overcome its lack of 850, much touted but unuseable 2MP camera, and inferior build.
Again, as a consumer, I will be doing my research and buying the best product. I happen to be on Cingular. If you happen to live outside of North America, and you don't care that the device your buying costs about $100 more and is (-) Camera. The Atom IS better for you. In the US, you either go Verizon for the best reception, or you can go Cingular for great reception and more choice in GSM phones. If your on T-Mobile, God won't even help you on your reception. I speak from experience when moving from T-Mobile to Cingular, it was like Night and Day in most areas.
I'm not defending the Prophet because I bought it. I can easily sell it IF there was a better device. I bought a Wizard 2 WEEKs ago, and that didn't fit my taste at all, so I promptly sold it. I'm trying to let people understand that depending on your user habit, location, and NEEDS of a device, the Prophet or Atom may be more suitable.
AS it boils down in comparison
The ONLY thing the Atom has: Speed
The Prophet has: Camera, SD card, Reception, and Build Quality.
Overclock, and the Atom has absolutely NO advantage.
If you don't wish to overclock, dont need the camera, don't mind the mini SD, don't need the 850mhz, and prefer the shiny black finish, the Atom IS a better device for you.
For most of us (especially in the US), the Prophet's features and versatility far outweigh its slightly slower operation. Overall, I think most people would agree that the Prophet is a better device than the Atom. I would much prefer my cheaper 4gb Mp3 player, 2MP Camera, Phone, Internet and PDA all in one over a 2gb Mp3 player, inferior reception phone, and slightly faster internet and pda functionality.
I NEVER missed any call no matter how many applications I have open. The OMAP has a dedicated code for phone related applications so no matter how many apps you have open, the phone is always responsive.
I sometimes missed calls on the magician when I had many apps open. Phone app responsivness on the Prophet is better than the Magician's!!
Melchior said:
It is slow. And it will be noticeable. But when people compare slowness from a device. We are talking about 1/2 second to a second slower. Thats about it. For normal operation, opening windows, menus, programs, the Atom will be .5-1 second faster. How much is that really? It depends on you. .5-1 second faster is VERY noticeable. But what does mean for your productivity? The Atom will get something done a few seconds faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Translation - one of these items will be annoying compared to what you are used to - the other would not. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't go out and buy a PC that was slower than my previous one, let alone for more money.
Melchior said:
The Atom will pick up a call and be in call on maybe the first ring. It will take the third ring maybe for the Prophet to pick up the call. Both while in GPS or something.
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?.
...Unfortunately for the Atom, you can't overclock OR overcome its lack of 850, much touted but unuseable 2MP camera, and inferior build....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on if you think you spent your money on a phone - or a toy. And judging by your fixtion on the camera ( the camera in all these phones are a joke frankly). I'd have to wonder.
I'm much more interested in buying phone from someone that makes the phone part work well, before they go spending effort on a toy camera. Talk about a messed up sense of priorities...
Build quality remains to be seen - proven only by long term usage.
There is not point in touting a device beyond its weaknesses. The Prophet/Jamin may be fine for some. But its sheer folly to go around pretending that its weaknesses would not affect anybody or that 850mhz is an issue that affects most of the world - it doesn't. Many people dont give a fig about 850. We don't live in US or Canada.
skagen said:
Let's put it this way, I wouldn't go out and buy a PC that was slower than my previous one, let alone for more money.
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Click to collapse
But then I also wouldn't get a new PC that only had half the storage of my old one. I have a 4GB card in my Magican that I will have to throw away with the Atom.
My contract is up in July if nothing else comes out before then with:-
* Full size SD / SDIO
* Wifi
* 400+MHz
* WM2005
* 2MP+ Camera (ideally with autofocus & optical zoom)
* Same form factor as my Magician
* USB2
* USB Host
* D3D hardware
* VGA (ok now I'm dreaming)
* Built in GPS (the new sort that work indoors)
Then I guess I'll have to go for the Prophet due to the investment in my memory card.
Maybe I can just set the clock speed to 400Mhz permanently and live with shorter battery life......
Isn't that weird that there is still nothing better on the market than Exec?
And nothing is even announced to come!
Or maybe I missed a news about a PDA/Phone with better specs than Exec.
I love gadgets and am a bit confused when I have nothing to wait for :wink: .
And I'm going to Japan and Hong Kong in a month and was thinking to buy something there.
rottie said:
Isn't that weird that there is still nothing better on the market than Exec?
And nothing is even announced to come!
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Click to collapse
I don't mind - I've got until December before I change my Exec - so glad I took out a 1 year contract rather than an 18month one.
Keep a look out for the SE p990i..... should interesting :roll:
BR
agent003 said:
Keep a look out for the SE p990i..... should interesting :roll:
BR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Impressive specs, but the tiny keyboard isstoo small. Should sell well enough though - Wifi and 3G? Damn nice. Might face some competition from the XDA IQ (Orion).
The non-flush keyboard flap is awful too. http://gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_p990-pictures-1318.php
Nice looking from the camera facing side though!
And that plastic thingy supposed to be better than my Exec? :lol:
rottie said:
And that plastic thingy supposed to be better than my Exec? :lol:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll second that
I sometimes wonder if they are so shunted for creativity & innovation! The same old crap revamped over and over again, and people still keep buying it! Unbelievable!!!
The OS is so lame, it makes me wonder how people can even use it! The applications you get for the SEs are so "compromised" and pathetic, that i really wouldnt even dream of having one of those in my gadget kitty!
again, my honest opinion....no flame war intended, but i would enjoy a breakout nonetheless
Cheers,
San
I have ordered my P990, its a phone PDA not a PDA phone. Looking forward to having a reasonable amount of user memory (>64Mb) and great MP3 playback and photos. Also I suspect I'll get two days life from the battery unlike....Also I don't expect to need to reset it every two days...Its amazing what the naff OS from Symbian can do (e.g. real-time processing)
Edit: also looking forward to having caller ID on my JabraBT800 and stereo BT playback
jah said:
I have ordered my P990, its a phone PDA not a PDA phone. Looking forward to having a reasonable amount of user memory (>64Mb) and great MP3 playback and photos. Also I suspect I'll get two days life from the battery unlike....Also I don't expect to need to reset it every two days...Its amazing what the naff OS from Symbian can do (e.g. real-time processing)
Edit: also looking forward to having caller ID on my JabraBT800 and stereo BT playback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to take a serious look at the P990. I had a P800 which I didn't like much (it promised far more than it delivered), but the P990 seems leaps and bounds ahead. I then moved on to a Treo which was OK but underpowered both hardware and OS-wise. I then got a JAM and now an O2 Exec - but don't think much of Windows at all - although I couldn't survive without TomTom! I don't think any PDA has come anywhere near the quality of the Psion 5. What went wrong...?
"Looking forward to having a reasonable amount of user memory"
I've a bucket load of stuff on my XDA, never ran out of memory. Ever.
"and great MP3 playback"
Hey, me too!
"and photos."
Check. 640x480 pics look glorious. What res you running in, and on what size screen?
"Also I suspect I'll get two days life from the battery"
I get a day, but I charge every evening, so it's not a problem.
"Also I don't expect to need to reset it every two days"
Windows Mobile 5.0 is reliable. Obviously Beta software etc occasionally needs a reset, but in practice, the thing is reliable.
"Its amazing what the naff OS from Symbian can do (e.g. real-time processing)"
Sorry, what? My XDA doesn't process in real time? Really? How does it multitask?
"also looking forward to having caller ID on my JabraBT800"
Caller I'D works well through my headset via Voice Command, no need to take the headset off to look at the number.
"and stereo BT playback"
Hey, me too!
@Belfast Bikes, real-time processing means Symbian does everying there no need for two OSs unlike WM5 devices. I was trying to point out that the P990 is more a phone then PDA; some people need a rock solid phone over a PDA. On memory, I do need to reset because of low RAM and I prefer to install my apps on the main memory as I do when I use all my other devices. The Universal's 27MB user memory is very low for a USD1000 device in 2006!
@page3, totally agree about the Psion 5 - fast, easy to use and rock solid (I think I had to reset my 5MX about twice in 12 months). The Psion 5 design is from 1997! Here we are 9 years later and we have to suffer slow devices that are unreliable!
jah said:
@Belfast Bikes, real-time processing means Symbian does everying there no need for two OSs unlike WM5 devices.
On memory, I do need to reset because of low RAM and I prefer to install my apps on the main memory as I do when I use all my other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never reset due to low memory,ever. I use gspocketmagic to actually close the apps I don't need, perhaps that helps?
As for needing two operating systems, I have no idea what you're talking about.
@Belfast Biker
re: Real-time OS
Look at these links:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/13/microsoft_single_core_phone_os/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/30/singlechip_rtos_phones/
All *current* PocketPC/WM phones require two OSes. One runs the phone radio and the other runs the rest of the PDA. They have to be working together in order to give you a usable device. Once these are integrated in a RTOS, we should be able to do more with less. This should result in more efficiency, less weight and smaller motherboards. Technically, it should also reduce the price, although that, of course, will likely never happen!
SE990 UIQ ...
Hi folks,
I own a SE P910 as well. It is pretty similar to the 990 apart from WiFi and 3G and the screen size - the 910s screen is larger ;-)
Well, compared to PPC/Phone Ed these show a different attitude.
PPC/PE are sort of PPC with the possibility to call and the SE 9XX are phones with a PDA.
Compared to my Universal the 910 definately is NOT slow once apps are loaded and you can leave a whole lot running berfore you'll notice any slow-down. I have several apps on that thingy and I have to admit there definately is light and shade - just as everywhere, in the PPC world as well.
Concerning the keyboard you are right - this is tiny with the 9xx but text recognition (scribbling on the screen similar to Transcriber) is more accurate by far.
Phone operation (there are some people left that really use their phones to phone ;-) ) is a whole lot better: quality of sound, scroll through options by a 5-way wheel switch, options in general are better and usable compared to PPCs.
And something striking is that these devices don't have a Reset-switch - they really don't need it ....
It just depends on what you want so please don't damn a device just because it is different
Have fun!
Andreas
Hey,
just upgraded my MDA Vario to the MDA Vario II (my third HTC phone in less than 18 months, these things are addictive) and wanted to share my thoughts for people who might be thnking of doing the same. To a lot of people there doesn't seem much more to shout about between the two but I believe the upgrade is well worth it.
Form Factor, Appearance and Build Quality:
- The Vario II (from here on referred to as as VII) is slightly longer but also marginally thinner than the VI, the difference is only small but to me the reduction in thickness is certainly welcome. The shape of the VII is very similar to the Magician, less rounded compared to the VI and flatter.
- In terms of build quality the VII is far superior, it feels much more solid especially when the keyboard is concealed (you cannot tell that there is one, feels like one continuous unit). The buttons all have a nice tactile feel to them and the jog wheel is very solid.
- Appearance is obviously a subjective matter but in my opinion the VII looks far nicer, especially the dark metallic red keyboard. It has a much more professional look to it, rather than the plasticy VI.
==> The VII takes this round hands down, it's thinner, better looking and more solid feeling with great build quality.
Ease of Use:
- The VII has more buttons than the VI which is a welcome addition for me. I used to map the top buttons (Messaging and IE) to the Start Menu and OK, there are now dedicated buttons below the soft keys. I used to find that I accidently would hit the camera button, so far have not pressed any button by accident on my VII.
- The scroll wheel wasn't a feature I was to bothered about until I used it and have got to say that it makes one handed operation even easier, especially considering there is a second OK button below the wheel which cleverly acts as the Start Menu button when on the today screen meaning you can launch programs using just your thumb. It also allows you to scroll through documents easily although for making large jumps it is a pain. I would mention the equivelent on the VI but that would be the volume slider which was the tackiest part of that phone.
- Another small but overdue feature is the new layout of the number on the keyboard, they are now arranged in a standard numerical block. This feature really comes into its own when dialing a phone number as you now no longer need to double click circle to access the numbers, when your in phone mode you just use the keys and it automatically recognizes that it should use the numbers instead of the letters (this works with SmartDialer and without).
- Keyboard shortcuts have considerably improved, you can now launch File Manager, turn on WiFi and use PgUp/PgDn using the keyboard. There is also a new input method, Symbol Pad which has common and unusual characters in a list (this can be launched directly from the keyboard).
- The stylus is almost identical to that of the VI, although it is very stiff in the VII.
==> Again the VII has some great improvements, some minor but they all add up to make a more satisfying experience using the VII.
Communication:
- Data transfer is the big change between the two devices, the VI has GPRS/EDGE compared to the VII which supports HSDPA. With the VI I only had 6Mb allowance per month and so my general usage was kept to a minimum (MSN, vgsmail and occasional web browsing) and for this purpose GPRS was generally acceptable. Not trying to sound cheesy but HSDPA is going to completly change the way I use my phone, browsing is now almost instaneous even with pictures set to download and I no longer have to worry about how much data I use. Some people mention that although download speeds are impressive there is a lag between loading pages, I have not found this to be the case. I was browsing xda-developers on my phone today and I wouldn't say there was a noticable difference between browsing on my phone and my laptop (4Mbits/s Cable). I did a speedtest on http://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/ and it rated at 1.2Mbits/s (I'm in Leeds)
- Speech quality, without doing professional tests is subjective but in my opinion has improved with the VII as has reception.
==> This is where you'll notice the biggest difference, I don't think it's an overstatement to say that the VII will drastically change the way you use your phone.
NB: The phone came with HSDPA enabled in software but I had to phone customer services (150 from your phone then options 2 => 6, they have to get through the tech department but don't think there's a direct number)
Hardware:
- You can definitly tell that there is a more powerful processor in the VII, menus load without lag and programs load faster. There is a known issue at the moment which affects video playback (search on the forums) but this would be my only grumble with speed. Overall it is far more responsive than the VI (I always had the latest ROM and not one of them matches the VII in responsiveness).
- The one issue the VII has with speed is the length of time it takes to come out of sleep, there is a gud second lag which can get irritating if you just whipped your phone out to check for mesages.
- The camera has received a much needed upgrade as has the camera software. There does seem to be a noticable difference in quality but I don't use it much so won't comment on differences although it is clear that the VII has a better camera than the VI. One thing the VII has which at first I thought was its most pointless feature has actually turned out to be great, on the main camera theres a little macro slider (lets you focus on close-up objects) and it really works. It is excellent for taking photos of documents or writing and you can actually read the text easily from the photo. There is also a second camera on the front for video calling but I don't know anyone who has video calling so cant test it.
- Yet another memory format yet another damn card to buy, the good news is I can't feasably see how a memory format can get smaller then MicroSD without running the risk of it absorbing into your skin so hopefully this one will be around to stay for a little while longer than MiniSD. Have not yet bought a MicroSD card so cannot comment on any performance differences.
- I'm hoping that the battery life on my phone is still being misread as I have only charged it once now but if not then it is awful. I left the house this morning at 9 with a fully charged battery, as I'm still in the honeymoon phase with it I used it constantly until 2pm (webbrowsing, live messenger, no calls, 2 texts, imap idle) and the battery was down to 10%!!!! Another known issue at the moment is that the battery level goes down in 10% blocks, apparently a lot of early ROMs for HTC have this issue and it then gets corrected so fingers crossed. Something else to note is that the VII battery capacity is 100mAh higher (1350mWh vs. 1250mAh).
Update on battery life, it has indeed improved but not as much as I had hoped. My VI is still sitting in my draw, turned on waiting for messages and with no exageration its well over a week between charges. My VII on the other hand needs charging every couple of days, but I do use it a lot.
==> Apart from the battery life the VII beats the VI
Software:
- For the stock ROM unlocking the extended ROM is simply a case of running fit4cats registry tweaker, there seems to be far less less applications in extended rom as well (total ~ 3Mb). For the first time I'm not bothered about letting the extended rom as it doesn't install anything instrusive or bloating.
- Live Messenger Beta runs fine, any problems being related to the software bugs rather than the phone (all my contacts appeared to be offline, had to "Switch User" option to fix that). The voiceclips feature works flawlessly and combined with HSDPA makes for a useful method of communicating when you cant type. Live beta is currently not working
- VGSmail works fine as expected
- Resco Explorer 2005 is fine
CONCLUSION:
The Vario I was a great phone but not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, on the whole it worked but had too many annoyances for me. The Vario II I believe corrects almost every single one of these as well as providing new features. I would not consider this to be a necessary upgrade for those who don't use data communication and can live with the Vario's flaws. For the heavier users I could not recommend this phone more, as I mentioned before I have had the Magician, Wizard and now the Hermes. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that for me this is the best out of the three, but it also the first time I have considered a Pocket PC to be a worthy substitute for a dedicated phone. It truly is an amazing piece of hardware and could not imagine anyone who takes the plunge being the slightest bit disappointed.
Pros:
- HSDPA
- More responsive
- Better keyboard, buttons and general buil quality
- True one handed operation may now be a reality
Cons:
- Battery life (under very heavy usage on new battery)
Hope this helps some people when deciding whether to go for it or not, I will keep this post updated if I think of anything and don't hesitate to post any questions.
When your battery went down that quickly, where you in an area that was spotty with its UMTS reception? (sorry I'm not familiar with your area) I know I am almost on the line of UMTS and no UMTS and when I am on either side of the line I am fine, but when I am close to the line my battery drains ridiculously fast.
after some charges the battery do the best... my Tytn now as about 3days of autonomy...
not comparable with the 2 days of my magician!
great recension...
many thx
bubu
With regards to the battery I know that they take a little while to be worn in and the OS usually takes a while to learn the battery as well so I'm not to worried. I think I was in an area of spotty coverage yes, as I was only getting 3G 75% of the time.
I think this is a great summary so bumping it up for other potential buyers to read.
The new keyboard is rarely mentionned as one of the improvements over the wizard but it really is a big step forward in that department.
cheers for the bump, just a few updates:
- the keyboard issue has corrected itself, it seems that when fresh from the box some of the contacts need to be worn in. all the keys are now as responsive as each other.
- battery life has also improved considerably but that could well be down to me using it less.
- the stylus is now feeling a lot smoother going in and out of the device.
- unfortunatly the screen alignment issue has cropped up on my phone. this is by far the biggest problem people have with these phones. this should not hinder potential buyers as operators are recognizing this as a factory hardware flaw and replacing/repairing it free of charge.
people looking to buy this phone should not be put off by the screen alignment issue. most newer models aren't having this problem but if they do it's just a case of getting it replaced (on that note, make sure you buy from a reputable supplier with good customer service).
hope this helps those looking to buy this great phone.
Great comparison! I'll link it on the PPC Magazine blog!
(BTW, as far as "- Data transfer is the big change between the two devices, the VI has GPRS compared to the VII which supports HSDPA." is concerned: the VI supports EDGE with speeds up to 240 kbps under good circumstances. See http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=518&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more benchmarks.)
Guys, hears sweet stuff abot the tytn - but how about tytn vs universal - my current pda . . . i am due an upgrade in like 6 months . . what you guys reckon???
cheers
lr
Thanks Menneisyys for the link and also the correction, have edited the post to include VI having EGDE. The reason I didn't mention it is that tmobile uk doesn't support EDGE so I never got to use it.
I bought a 1Gb Sandisk Transflash/MicroSD card, just stuffed it in the slot and rebooted (for some reason wouldn't appear until I reset, I've noted that other people have also experienced this)... But it just works.
Copied over some xvids via my LAN (PC wired to router, PDA on wifi) using Opera as it's more effective at handling large files than PIE... The files just went. I kept an eye on my upload and I was sending the file to the device at around 550-600kb/sec, which I guess is about the max that 802.11g can handle minus overheads, and the file just wrote without any lag, delay or pauses to the SD card, so I'm very happy with its performance
Not run (or installed) TomTom on it yet, so I've not really had a chance to do a long-duration endurance test of the SD card's throughput performance, but I doubt I'll have many problems compared to the issues I had with my Alpine I know there's apps available which can benchmark your storage card, but I reaaaally can't be bothered to get them right now.
I'm having a continued issue with not being able to sync my device with my computer (just doesn't recognise it at all), but I'm thinking that's a problem with my PC as it's a bit... 'touchy'... anyway All in all, a great device. That is, great device provided you get one without a screen alignment issue! I wish there was an adaptor available to convert the mini USB slot to a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for when you want to listen to music though, that's my only wish - I have some WAY better headphones which I'd love to use with my device say when I'm on the bus going into Uni in the morning, now it can stream live TV over the HSDPA... The included headset is a bit of a waste really.
I hope that the video playback issue in TCPMP is to be resolved soon, because I've had to implement my own workaround for that, but it's just one of those things with any new piece of hardware... You get it soon as it comes out, there's bound to be software bugs. As pleased with my Hermes as I was when I got my Alpine, if not moreso - it's a real all-rounder, and, like a previous poster commented, with the Web 'n Walk tariff, it has also really changed the way I use my phone when I'm on the go.
Brilliant comparison, glad I cancelled my contract with O2 now as they don't have the latest Compact XDA, instead signed with Vodaphone on a better tariff and got the phone FREE (VPA Compact III) instead of having to pay the w*nkers at O2 £150 for the older model!!!
Having been an Exec user previously, this little thing is speedy, compact, neat, modern and has a very 'well designed' feel to it - my Exec in comparison just looks old fashioned and clunky, not to mention a bit creeky with old age!!
Just about to purchase a MicroSD for it, they seem to be about £45 for 2Gb, very good value, I do hope that microSD becomes a standard for memory storage, sick of having to upgrade my desktop Card readers!!!!
Cheers, Ash
Hi there. I've had the MDA Pro/o2 Exec for over 8 months and am very happy with it (except of course it's size which can be uncomfortable). I have an upgrade due in about a week and was wanting to know how the resolution compares to the Pro? I got the MDA Vario and ended up keeping the Pro as the resolution was excellent and the sound quality was better. Just wondering how the Vario II compares to the Pro.
ashleyhall said:
Brilliant comparison, glad I cancelled my contract with O2 now as they don't have the latest Compact XDA, instead signed with Vodaphone on a better tariff and got the phone FREE (VPA Compact III) instead of having to pay the w*nkers at O2 £150 for the older model!!!
Having been an Exec user previously, this little thing is speedy, compact, neat, modern and has a very 'well designed' feel to it - my Exec in comparison just looks old fashioned and clunky, not to mention a bit creeky with old age!!
Just about to purchase a MicroSD for it, they seem to be about £45 for 2Gb, very good value, I do hope that microSD becomes a standard for memory storage, sick of having to upgrade my desktop Card readers!!!!
Cheers, Ash
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Click to collapse
I'm out of my contract with O2 and am looking at the Vario with T-Mobile (their web n walk looks very good) but they're advertising the vario (as opposed to the vario II) how do I know which they're dishing out?
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatche...phones_ews_overview&menuid=ctl_phones_details
MarkyMark7890 said:
I'm out of my contract with O2 and am looking at the Vario with T-Mobile (their web n walk looks very good) but they're advertising the vario (as opposed to the vario II) how do I know which they're dishing out?
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatche...phones_ews_overview&menuid=ctl_phones_details
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Click to collapse
The Vario2 is out of stock currently. When it's back in stock, it will be listed as the Vario 2. Meanwhile as your link shows, they're still selling the original.
Ah haaaa, that'd make sense.
I rang them yesterday and the best they could say was sometime towards the end of next week.
Is it safe?
Hi friends.I want to buy an mda vario 2 on ebay.Is it safe.What do i need to search before buying an mda vario 2?Can it be unlocked to be used in any country in the world?Can someone sell one which has screen alignment problems?
Is it safe?
Hi friends.I want to buy an mda vario 2 on ebay.Is it safe?I mean i won't know if it wil be in good condition n i wil also not know if it suffers from the screen alignment problem..What do i need to search or ask before buying it.Can the mda vario 2 be unlocked to be used all round the world?
eBay is a dangerous place to buy this kind of thing from, apparently there are quite a few scams going on relating to this phone. If you ask a seller about the screen alignment problem it is very unlikely they will tell you the truth as they can just claim afterwards that it developed after they sent it to you. You could obviously ask for the serial number but that is no guarentee that it won't develop the problem (as far as I know there isn't a single serial number that hasn't had some duff units).
You will have to use your own judgement but personally I think buying this phone from a private seller at this point is dangerous. Plus if the price on eBay is ludicrously low, it's almost certainly a duff listing.
Good luck
Thanks for your advice.I searhed for the mda vario 2 on tmobile.co.uk but it seems that it is out of stock.Could you tell me what is the cheapest price plan concernin this phone?Thanks.
T-Mobile UK are having serious stock issues with this phone, I've been waiting a month for my local T-Mobile shop to get some Vario IIs in so that I can get a replacement. Personally I think their flext packages are very competitive when combined with W'n'W. I currently pay about £38 per month and I get unlimited browsing and £180 worth of texts and calls included. Probably a tad too much but it means I get to use my phone without worrying about usage as I know I'll never go over my allowance. Also going for the bigger package meant I got the phone cheaper (I only paid £40 for the handset), plus I can downgrade my package after 6 months.
My advice would be to go to your local T-Mobile shop and haggle with them, there's a fair few deals that they can do for you. Obviously it would help if they had some stock.
Guys,
Here I am posting this thread coz those who are using Athena can share their view/review so others can see wether to have it or not.
Or you can post your suggestions or comments for Athena in compare with Uni.
Thank you,
I had my QTEK 9000 (Universal) well before Cingular (USA) launched their HSDPA. I travel and work at times in the UK so UMTS 2100 is great when I'm overseas. Sadly, Cingular's HSDPA is 1900 & 850, making the QTEK 9000 default (slowly) to GPRS .
The next device out of the chute with multi-band UMTS, VGA resolution, hign end processor, loads of memory and an upgrade path to WM6 for me was the Dopod U1000. It's a little bigger than the QT9000, but after geting used to carrying the 9k, moving up to the U1000 was no problem. It merely opens up new opportunities for other accessories, like the LG Style-I since you can't (won't) hold the Athena up to your face to talk. I've done the BT Headset thing for years and the Style-I is a nice 'eye-catching' gizmo along side the Athena. Both serve the same purpose, not many have ever seen them so the looks are frequent and numerous.
As for the features, the HSDPA in the US is excellent on the Athena and WM6 has been a joy. I have not had to carry (lug) a laptop to the UK as I can do all I need on the Athena. The 5 inch screen is a welcome expansion from the QT9000, and even that being VGA 3.8 inches was much sharper than the over done 320x240 devices which dominate the market. If you want to own one of these devices, IMHO, you want to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Your device speaks volumes about you without you saying a word.
Love the Screen, love HSDPA, love the storage.
Hate the keyboard, hate the lack of vibrate, hate the battery life.
Still can't get myself to get rid of my Universal but do love the Athena.
Satisfied.
Love the Universal keyboard and backlight. Everything else I think I love the Athena on. I won't go back the Universal....the Athena outperforms it so love the additional power.
Much more better....
Advantage compare to Universal:
positive side:
-bigger screen
-bigger memory (wich is difficult to make it full like in Universal)
-8 gb drive
-gps
-better camera
-joystick
-better speakers (now I can hear it)
-better software already instaled
-cabel 4in1 and its possibilites
-A2DP
-possibility to disconnect it from keyboard
-for me faster than Universal
negative side:
-much more bigger and heavy
-keyboard (no full keypad and no light in it)
-no vibritate (but Jabra 8010 can compasete lack of it)
-no easy to put in and out card slot like in Universal
-difficult to take battery out
i love it had universal n a few other pocket pcs this is the best untill the shift comes !! downside again need bt headset no vibrate a pain at work as is on sillent n its big but welll worth it
Im just about to finally part with my Universal (XDA Exec) as I am now happpy with the Ameo I have.
I'll miss the keyboard as the Ameo one is totally pants and very unresponsive - but im working on getting a small USB one for it soon so wont take the crappy one with me any more!
I love Athena more than UNI except the keyboard and the size. The rest Athena outperform my UNI.
cheers..
As far as I am concerned the Athena is very good. I use mine for a lot of things every day,and my only complaint is the un-lighted keyboard.
Now, if the Shift is anywhere near as good as this one is,I will be in heaven.......LOL
Later.........
No Contest!
I still have access to my wife's WM6 (Laurentis ROM) Uni, so can always do direct comparisons.
No contest whatsoever! Athena all the way for me.
Very Satisfied, but seriously wish it had the accellerator of the Axim....
Hate the keyboard, waste of time and has caused more scratches then I would have without one.
Love the possibilities on this thing though and having a 5" screen makes it all worthwhile...Universal does just not cut the mustard like the Athena IMHO.
You gotta be on crack to ask such a question.. who wouldnt be fully satisfied... It has way better performance and structure. I hate putting the Uni to my ear and this ones done it!
It's great... For about 2 hours a day.
Battery life is atrocious. Using it the way I do, fpr MP3 player, GPS, calls, web browsing, Push Email, the battery dies on me in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Carry a USB cable or my charger with me at all times now... Love the device itself, tho.
skoop99 said:
Battery life is atrocious. Using it the way I do, fpr MP3 player, GPS, calls, web browsing, Push Email, the battery dies on me in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Carry a USB cable or my charger with me at all times now... Love the device itself, tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that was certainly useful information. Thanks skoop99
Thanks to xda-developers
I love the device more and more as problems get solved. I believe the last major problems to be fixed were the Jabra BT8010 issues - thanks to the program Priority256_fix.
I'm sure I would not have liked the device nearly as much without the help of this forum.
Many thanks!
Use Plantronics FTW!
I also have the same feelings as other members have posted.After Update to WM6, I had been facing problem with Bluetooth Sound, I use this as my main phone.I get 100 calls a day and in some cases the caller cannot hear my voice.I use Jabra 8010.
Else, the device is cool.I hv tried disabling Microdrive and battery lasts for 3 days
Any one here can make/find disable Microdrive Programatically, then it will b boon.
The Universal has severed me well for several years, but I feel that there must be something newer, shiner out there.
(I basically want a new toy)
I love having a proper keyboard, the ability to open word/excel files as well as web browsing and email.
Any recommendations
Ash
I got an XDA Orbit - but still keep going back to my Exec. It may be bulky but I still love the flexibility of it.
Take a look at HTC Athena or HTC Shift, its bulky but a step up indeed.
I'm not moving on, the Uni is still the best IMHO. No other phone has a full keyboard (including number buttons), VGA screen, normal sized SD card slot, 3.5mm headphone socket, 3G, and massive extended batteries of over 5000mAH. The Athena is not counted, since you need a headset or speakerphone to use it as a "phone", which I find too inconvenient.
I will not upgrade until a phone comes out which has most if not all of the above features.
I upgraded to O2 XDA Atom Life a couple of weeks ago. I never used the keyboard of universal, so, being keyboardless on atom life does not hurts. 1gb rom is a big plus. I've stored everything on my device(including a 600mb movie too ). Its fast(624MHZ) too. Its qvga, but, at 2.8', it looks sweet. And hey, its beautiful from outside too
Overall, a happy guy. Impressed with quanta's hardware quality too.
edit: here is the review of it on my website
http://gadgetmix.com/reviews/atomlife/atomlife.htm
Kaiser - the HSDPA and GPS nearly makes up for the lack of VGA screen and full number row.
Surur
I'm upgraing to... The universal! Yep apart from going to the athena which i dont have the money for nothing compares to the Universal. Must admit the Kaiser did appeal to me but with it's GPS chip, but a 400 Mhz processor and QVGA persuaded me to that the Uni was better. Now if HTC was to put a GPS chip in the Uni? It'd be perfect and have everything.
Psi
when is the omni expected? any news?