Database Users

Should I buy HTC Universal or Wait for Hermes?

Any advice from Universal owners would be welcome. I need an unlocked tri or quad band phone and I am ready to buy now. I see that Hermes has 2.0 mp camera which I read is a big improvement. I am not that interested in keyboards and have heard that hermes predecessor (magician?) had problems...so I am concerned about having a slide out keyboard that I do not need which might cause problems in future. The hermes has upgraded blue tooth and usb if I am not mistaken as well as EDGE? Universal has SD while hermes has mini sd.
Any suggestions from Universal owners if I should get my Unlocked Universal now or if I should wait for Hermes???
thanks
scott

scottshort said:
I am not that interested in keyboards and have heard that hermes predecessor (magician?) had problems...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're not interested in keyboards, the Universal really shouldn't be a choice because it has the biggest keyboard of all HTC devices.
You say that you're ready to buy now, you can start with the Universal. If you don't like it, you could always sell it and get a Hermes when they come out. That's what I would do.

I understand that Keyboard is not on your priority list. However do consider the VGA screen on the uniersal. It is really the best screen I have ever seen. As I do a lot of net browsing a smaller QVGA screen is somewhat a deterrent for me.
Regards

thanks
Thanks all for advice. I have stage fright in making my purchase decision!! I am ready to buy now, but am now concerned that the Universal is already outdated....BUT the hermes wont be available as unlocked for some time....(you can probably understand how my last pocket pc was a phillips nino!!....I keep waiting for the best, and by the time it is available...there is a new best right around the corner!)
From your experience, is the universal a good machine? Will I have huge problems out of the box? Will I need ROM upgrade for it to work?? I am not a super techy guy (don't understand much about modifying these machines and am frankly afraid that I might mess it up) and this machine will need to last me for at least 5 years....I am not one to purchase the latest model each year....
Will I really miss all of the new additions present in the Hermes model?? such as 2.0 mp camera (reviews have said the 1.3 mp cam sucks), and all of the newer email capabilities edge? utms? Or do you think for a regular user that I won't miss them??
Some things that I want for sure:
Blue tooth STEREO phone and mp3 headset combo (so I can keep this brick stored in my bag and make and receive calls without it clipped to my belt all the time....and listen to mp3s in stereo....is this possible?
Voice commands from bluetooth headset...possible?
If there was an unlocked model similar to hermes available now without keypad...I would consider....but only thing I have seen is eten g500 with integrated gps...looks cool but only 1.3 mp camera and no wifi....so I do not see anything else available on market that is better than universal
thanks for any advice/experience you can offer
scott

srmz said:
I understand that Keyboard is not on your priority list. However do consider the VGA screen on the uniersal. It is really the best screen I have ever seen. As I do a lot of net browsing a smaller QVGA screen is somewhat a deterrent for me.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree with the screen part.
HX4700 has the best VGA screen IMO.

Chatbox said:
I have to disagree with the screen part.
HX4700 has the best VGA screen IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's not get off subject here. Yes, HX4700 has a really neat screen. However, it is not a phone.

what about prophet?
I have been reading about prophet...as a possible alternative to universal......I am worried that 200 mhz processor might be too slow for skype...one review said it was really slow.....but then another review said it was as fast as universal... has anyone used universal with voip or skype ...does it work ok??
Thanks for any comments.... is there a huge benefit to having universal's umts and 3G (most of my time is in america).....or would the prophet's (or Hermes) EDGE be seen by current universal owners as a big plus..and a better choice today...?
thanks again for the advice
scott

Re: what about prophet?
scottshort said:
I have been reading about prophet...as a possible alternative to universal......I am worried that 200 mhz processor might be too slow for skype...one review said it was really slow.....but then another review said it was as fast as universal... has anyone used universal with voip or skype ...does it work ok??
Thanks for any comments.... is there a huge benefit to having universal's umts and 3G (most of my time is in america).....or would the prophet's (or Hermes) EDGE be seen by current universal owners as a big plus..and a better choice today...?
thanks again for the advice
scott
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scott, currently 3G and UTMS, none of that stuff is avaliable here in the US. So if you spend a majority of your time here, it probably won't do you any good. EDGE will, but like I said it will only make a real noticable difference if you tether with a laptop and use it as a modem.
The 200mhz processor in the Prophet and Wizard series is a nice processor. For day to day usage, you probably won't even know that it's 200mhz. For Skype (If you use that feature a lot), I would steer away from the OMAP processor. I know some people say this and say that, in reality, it's really not a fast processer when coming down to run memory hogging big programs. The one thing I REALLY REALLY liked about the OMAP processor is how long those phones lasted on one charge. I can really use my Wizard all freak'n day and it would laugh at me. My Universal...that's a different story. :lol:

Question for People who have upgraded from Wizard to Hermes

How much faster is this new processor compared to the Wizards? Is noticably much faster, or not much?
Is it worth the upgrade?

yes it is, video streaming, usege of phone, bootup all faster but i must say t-mob rom has som glitches. not obvious but still there

The speed increase wasn't as fantastic as I had hoped, but it makes the device definitely more usable.
I'd say if you are a heavy user of the device and have the "Spare" cash, GET ONE, If not, wait for the next Vario III or whatever its gonna be called.

Re: Question for People who have upgraded from Wizard to Her
dangerous_dom said:
How much faster is this new processor compared to the Wizards? Is noticably much faster, or not much?
Is it worth the upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to use Skype and 3G, then yes. Other not really. Don't get me wrong it is the best device for me, but unless you can get a good deal then as has been said already the speed difference isn't onticeable from the latest Wizard ROMs.

TyTN vs Wizaed? No Contest!!
C'mon guys you gotta be kidding!!??!!
The TyTN/VarioII/SPV 3100...and its other guises, is far superior to the Wizard, even with the latest ROM!
Compare:
Does the Wizard have a commendable 2MP camera worthy of taking on SE K750i?
Does the Wizard have A2DP & AKU2 out the box?
Does it Multitask like the TyTN without lag?
Is it as varied in operability i.e. one-handed navigation plus many buttons?
Does it have HSDPA compatibility?
Is the screen as bright and clear?
Does it even have 3G?
Can it Video call?
NO!
The Wizard is good an everything but the TyTN is Great in comparison. Just my 2 cents worth.

Aye but unless you're wanting to use 3G, want to run lots of apps or use the camera then it's not noticeable better than the Wizard. I still have to see the difference in speed between the latest Wizard ROMs and the TyTYN.
As I said it is better, but not worth taking out a new contract to run against your existing one like a lot of people are doing.

Allow me to step in with a related question: The 3rd party compatible battery charts from Hongkong manufacturers show the HTC batteries from the Wizard and Hermes to be compatible. Can you confirm this?

@Lucas0511
The batteries are completely different.
The Wizard one is much smaller than that of the Hermes.
See attached picture
Cheers,
Drifter

The Wizard was Okay, but not close to the Tytn. I found the Wizard keyboard (Qtek 9100) somewhat unusable, the annoyance of constantly hitting the camera button a nuisance, and the constant speed degredations because it was doing some housekeeping unacceptable, all of these issues are gone with the Tytn. The ability to use Skype on the phone, important to communicate overseas, and other features made this an easy choice. Plus, don't ask me how I did it, but broke the spring holding in the memory card on the Wizard, which made it ready for retirement.

The Vario is a Good Phone, The vario II is definitely a better phone, but the newer version is still very expensive SIM free at the moment and So in my opinion the bottom line is if you use it to its full potentional AND if you have the spare cash.
The Vario II isn't as brilliant as I would have hoped, the 400Mhz processor is FASTER, but you still see abit of lag which I wasn't expecting.
UMTS and HSPDA make the device MUCH faster for downloading, but its still quite slow with internet browsing.
The camera is better but not even in its wildest dreams can it take on the SE K750.
Video calling - How often do people use this ?
You also need to keep in mind that will the pace that phones are being developed and released that the Vario III is possibly going to be released within the next 12 months or less.
So, the bottom line I would say is ..... do you need it and have you got the money.

Hi all,
I've been running the Wizard for almost 9 months now - clocked at 264 MHz thanks to omapclock - without any problem.
I got a TyTN from my job at the end of July and could not see any noticeable difference in terms of latency or execution speed.
The battery lasts only 24 hours when I am under UMTS coverage (48h at least with the Wizard with Edge).
I seriously think I'll get back to the Wizard until a decent french ROM version is available :?
_________________________
HTC TyTN French (HERM200)
ROM: 1.18.256.2 (05/30/06) - ExtROM: 1.18.256.103
Radio: 1.03.03.10 - Proto: 32.34.7010.01H

I think i will stick with my Wizard for now. From what i have read on these forums and elsewhere, the differences, while nice, are not compelling enough for warrent the spend.
Thanks for you input.

I use Slingplayer. Will the tytn make a difference? I also live in Dallas where umts is active.

great device! few comments

Ladies and Gentlemen!
Just receivd my HTC Herald few days ago and I am happy to say :
this device is vey good.
on the PROS side:
battery life is very good - on pair with Excalibur
keyboard is sensational - sprung keyboard.
keyboard is identical to Hermes keyboard but has Exclaibur like rubber feel to it. very sexy!
device plays chimes when hardware keyboard is being slided out/ slided in.
very cool this one. my wife wants this device badly now
overall very well built device. great quality.
D-pad look is similar to HTC TyTN D-Pad but feels completely different! much better this one. better click easier to use. big step forward.
sylus - identical to Trinity. non-telescopic one. very convenient to use.
screen is very bright and clear.
WiFI and BT - can not compain about that one.
on CONS side:
200MHz processor - SKYPE is big NO NO unless processor is overclocked...
multimedia speaker sound is very soft. quite easy to miss on incomming call. did that few time already.
device is not as light as Artemis for an instance. it feels a bit heavier than it should.
I have noticed that this is due to the battery weight mainly.
great form factor! excellent replacement for HTC Wizard.

I hope when they come with the next version for the TyTn it is with the sprung keyboard with chimes
Regards

where did you purchase the herald?
im interested in getting one.

Sorry. I am afraid that HTC P4350 is not commercially available yet.
P.S. after almost full week of having Herald in operation I have eventually realised that great keyboard and D-Pad makes this phone exceptional for me.
I wouldn't touch Hermes any more. what a difference!
bigneeker said:
where did you purchase the herald?
im interested in getting one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'm with you on that one SecureGSM... I too have a P4350 (although an older firmware than yours), and think it's a keeper.
Size is great, dpad is great and keyboard is pretty good (not quite as good as Hermes IMHO, primarily due to location of button for left soft key).
I love the spring out keyboard action, but wish it was a bit lighter (why so heavy?) and wish it looked a bit more special and a bit less industrial
P

Cheers, Modaco!
It is the battery that makes this device feels heavy! I have realised that when I removed the battery out. Not sure why.. may be HTC has to use new designed battery in conformance with new European standards and regulations? battery is definetely heavier than normal would be. I guess this is the question to technical gurus. I am not one of those, sorry
modaco said:
I'm with you on that one SecureGSM... I too have a P4350 (although an older firmware than yours), and think it's a keeper.
... but wish it was a bit lighter (why so heavy?) and wish it looked a bit more special and a bit less industrial
P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

In Germany it costs "only" 120 dollars less than the Tytn, but especially with a data flat I would not want to miss 3G and HSDPA anymore. The problems with the low speaker sound and low A2DP stereo quality leaves a lot of HTC customers angry. Too bad the Herald does not improve on this yet. Looking forward to the O2 Flame now, even if Quanta produces it...

Skype on HTC Herald (Dopod C800)
Dear all,
Have anyone actually tried skype on HTC Herald ?
I need to double confirm that HTC Herald is not able to
handle skype properly, so I will have to go for HTC Hermes instead. Basically I love every review on the Herald
except on the problem with skype.
Pls advise.
Thanks.

Hi,
I am also planning to order the Herald.
Great device in my opinion. The only disavantage is indeed the processor.
But if you overclock the processor to 240mhz, skype will work, i guess.
The HTC 9100 has the same processor and some people already reported skype succesfully working after overclocking tot 240 Mhz.
Am i correct ?
regards,
Dieter.

Can you tell me if the Herald has a low Wi-fi reception, like the Hermes? Thank you.

Hi Frankie_R,
you mean that the Hermes actually weak WIFI issue ?
will that affect the voice quality when using SKYPE ?
Hi ddv,
I have a review in local newspaper that the device is working properly on Skype without overclocking.
Not sure how true.
Unless the new 200MHz Processor is very efficient, I
seriously doubt it can handle skype with acceptable
voice quality even at 240Mhz overclocking.
Of couse, I wouls prefer to wait for actual
experience feedback.
At the mean time, I can still wait for the
ETEN M700 to come out.
Thanks for reading

sylvester_k said:
Hi Frankie_R,
you mean that the Hermes actually weak WIFI issue?
will that affect the voice quality when using SKYPE ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the signal isn't too weak (but the Hermes has a low reception, so you must be not too far away from the source) Skype will work without any problem.

Moved from Universal to Hermes (Observations)

FYI - Anyone considering upgrading to Hermes
I have been using a universal for the last 18months and have now sold it and upgraded to the HTC Hermes.
The universal served me very well and the only thing I miss is the larger screen and VGA resolution and standard 3.5mm jack - however - I don't miss the bulk.
The hermes is everything the universal is minus the VGA.
My default Rom on the universal was Helmi's v1.3 which was AKU 3.5 and was a very very stable/solid rom.
I later installed PDAVIET 2.04 pro (Crossbow/WM6) which was a little temperamental but solid never the less.
I have installed XDA Live 0.20 which is a Crossbow rom on the hermes and it is very fast, I mean very very fast in comparison to the the universal.
In actual fact the hermes feels like an overclocked blue angel. (Normal operation, responsiveness, games etc)
Before I had the universal I had a blue angel that I used to regularly overclock to 530mhz (XCPUSCHALAR) and I can tell you that the herms feels very close to this.
I actually wonder what the hermes is capable of if overclocked slightly - As I don't have any figures (Pocket Hackmaster performance Index, SPB benchmark, etc) I can only speculate - but I'm looking forward to investigating this further.
Incidently the hermes has the Imageon gpu that was present in the blue angel so it runs films in TCPMP with hardware acceleration something the universal lacks.
Now I'm not sure whether the Universal had slow ram, or it being a VGA device slowed it down or what but I do know that the hermes is orders of magnitude more responsive in every day operation than the universal was...
Wireless connects at 54mbs on the hermes instead of the 11mbs maximum thoroughput the universal supports even with the 802.11g hack.
And the Hermes also supports HSDPA (1.8mbs theoretical - if your network provider supports it). Admittedly this was a deal breaker for me as umts is cool but connecting at 1.8mbs to the internet whilst on the road is edging very close to nirvana LOL!
Now while I will miss browsing servers at 640x480 using ts client in WM6 (WM5 tsc was atrocious BTW - LOL!) I feel the hermes features and performance more than make up for it. Plus I recently purchased a Sony u50 (1st generation umpc circa 2004) which has a 800x600 5 inch screen and the u50 allows me to TS into server using the hermes as a modem (Bluetooth or serial comms)
Last but not least I need to mention the hermes 2MP camera - OMDs - LOL.
It is head and shoulders above any HTC Camera I've ever experienced and I have seen them all...
SPV to wallaby to alpine to blueangel to universal I've had them all and this camera is the 1st USEABLE camera in terms of how responsive the camera app is, the picture quality and the overall experience!
Granted it's no replacement for my Canon SLR BUT (BIG BUT) it's definitely useable and supports typical camera functions such as self timer, darkness controls etc.
All other HTC devices had a fairly decent camera app but a piss poor camera sensor that only operated remotely correctly with good light. The pics I get with the hermes are of comparable quality to recent nokia and sony phones.
Hope this information is of use to anyone considering moving from the Universal to a hermes.

haha funny enough I was looking at the hermes last night.
My contract has run out, im in the UK and o2 are no longer doing free gprs so I need to jump ship as its damn expensive! Three are offering unlimited (1gig) a month for £5 so that's my main option plus they have a HSDPA network. But the downside is they don't offer the hermes so i'd have to get it seperatly I want a hermes
Thanks for the review, I want a hermes more now
Thanks
Stu

actually, just a thought... with WM6 PIE has the option to view in VGA mode, this makes website VERY easy to view as if they were on a desktop pretty much which makes browsing actually possible on these devices. Is that function still available on the hermes ?
thanks
Stu

IE VGA
Hi Stu,
No that feature is not available in WM6 IE for the hermes as it is a qvga device (320x240)
Just checked the menu options in IE and noticed that option was missing whereas it was there in WM6 IE on the universal.
Cheers
q

stualpha said:
haha funny enough I was looking at the hermes last night.
My contract has run out, im in the UK and o2 are no longer doing free gprs so I need to jump ship as its damn expensive! Three are offering unlimited (1gig) a month for £5 so that's my main option plus they have a HSDPA network. But the downside is they don't offer the hermes so i'd have to get it seperatly I want a hermes
Thanks for the review, I want a hermes more now
Thanks
Stu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O2 are just about to bring out a new XDA which is similar looking to the Hermes but appears to have a faster processor. It is apparently out on 26 March.

ooo in that case I may hang around to see what it's like.
But saying that the data is a huge issue data costs on o2 are huge plus i'm a student so we can whine more lol
thanks guys
Stu
also :: do you know which device it is ? I presume specs are already out possibly ? or pics ?
thanks

stualpha said:
ooo in that case I may hang around to see what it's like.
But saying that the data is a huge issue data costs on o2 are huge plus i'm a student so we can whine more lol
thanks guys
Stu
also :: do you know which device it is ? I presume specs are already out possibly ? or pics ?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an Asustek apparently. Just Google O2 Zinc and you'll find it.

http://www.msmobilenews.com/content/view/1730/1/
think i'll hold out for this puppy!! looks sweet, shame about the vga though

stualpha said:
http://www.msmobilenews.com/content/view/1730/1/
think i'll hold out for this puppy!! looks sweet, shame about the vga though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you might like to hold out for the I-mate Ultimate 7150 - more ROM, more RAM, faster processor, VGA .....

not made my mind up about the design of the new ultimate series, dont know what it is, they look at a little funny :? will have to see it in flesh.
This is what I hate about these things, its always add a little bit of extra time on and wait for the next device

The very mention of microSD in these devices is enough for me to overlook them and appreciate my Universal even more - despite the superior performance of the new devices over the Universal. Since the Universal is VGA, has a stable performance, and uses SD Cards - I am pleased with it.
Only when SDHC readers start becoming more mainstream in PDA Phones will I start considering a successor to the Universal.

is there a better phone/pda

hi all looking at getting a trinity 3600 because i need stanalone gps, pda and a phone that takes my 3 sim card. just wondering b4 i take the plunge is there another phone that will meet my requirements that anybody thinks is better than the 3600 cheers

Other devices...
Well, the HTC Advantage can do all the same things, plus it has a VGA screen, but is a much more bulky device. The only other device I'm aware of that does all that the Trinity does is the Nokia N95. The Nokia has the advantage of a 5MP camera (only 2mp on the Trinity), but it doesn't run pocket PC (it's Symbian I think).
Other than that, I'm not aware of any others. The Trinity is a very good device, you'd be hard pushed to beat it!
Lee

but Advantage i read can only be used as a phone using a headset
it dont have a mic or something
polaris the upcomming replacement for Artemis but it's not out yet
another option could be Kaiser is another option if one is not bothered by the extre thickness the keyboard adds or even pref a keyboard

thanks for your replies the n95 i think you have to pay for the gps service I dont think it has a built in sirfstar 3 chipset or any alike so i would not go for that but i will have a look at the kaiser cheers

Yes, N95 runs Symbian, but no touchscreen. I've tried it a few days ago - much slower than my N73.

Other options
As of now the Trinity is one of the best PDA'a around.
Other phones that you can consider are the Asus P535/525 series and the Eten M700.
These phones have all the feature the Trinity has and then some more. Like all phones, the Trinity also has its fair share of problems.
I was about to buy the Trinity but holding out for the Kaiser, it has all the feature that I want in a phone.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Cheers,
Hiren

i'll wait for polaris or nike myself
dont want a slideout keyboard

polaris looks really good just took a look out in october ultra thin aswell says 3.5 in screen does that make the phone bigger than the mda 3 compact and is it defo 3g because it was the mda i wanted but only 2g

hi...
is there a better phone/pda? interesting question....
If you are using it mostly like a phone I wouldnt go for the trinity because of two issues:
* I need a quite strong GSM signal to get acceptable sound quality. People I call often complain about the quality of my voice when compared to a 'normal' phone. Maybe is my device, people in this forum say, but I tried some proposed remedies without success.
* Screen is nearly invisible outdoors on a sunny day
If you are using mostly PDA features, the trinity may be an interesting option. The rest of features work really well, specially GPS.
Beware a new (pricey) trinity version is to be released soon (or maybe already). Hopefully they solve these issues plus the paint peeling off thing. Then it would be the perfect phone.

Depends on what you value!
If you need the phone for business, don't get a PDA phone coz the reception is NOT 100% reliable...
What do you need the PDA for?
All in all, it might be better to get a TomTom GO, then a cheap phone with bluetooth that can connect to TomTom!
But as previously said, D810X is meant to be coming out, no idea when and how much though.

D810x is out in Australia as the HTC p3600i.

i think dell axim x51 is very good for gaming but it dont have a camera!

Polaris looks its gonna be great! I remember reading it only has 400mhz cpu :S