Related
Yep, I'm seriously thinking of selling my JAM on Ebay now so I can still get close to what I paid for it. I have spent far too long messing with this device to get it to do what it's suppossed to do. And I've spent far too much money purchasing software that should have been included with the JAM in the first place. (even the bloody 6315 came with a battery monitor)
I also think that this is not a problem with simply the Imate JAM.... it's a problem with all MS based PPC's. I'm more pissed off with the fact that Imate cannot provide adequate customer support for their devices. I think that similar to my 6315 (Which sucks as well) that there is not going to be a forthcoming patch or ROM that is actually going to make everything work. 1.3 mega pixel camera, my ***! The camera on the JAM can't take a decent picture to save it's life. The GPRS on the new ROM is useless. And in general, the JAM device is too quiet, unstable, and is made by a company who doesn't give a toss about its customers or it's products. (They don't even read their own forums to help out their customers).
I, like a lot of people, recently signed up for hosted MS exchange server to get push e-mail on the JAM. Well, it's nice when the GPRS works. What the hell is the point of having Push e-mail if the phone has to be reset to get a connection?
Am I going crazy here? I just want a device that is and does what it's meant to! -That's why it's so annoying, I can watch StarWars on my phone, but I can't check my e-mail or correctly type in a PIN code without errors......now that's ****ed up!!
I'm sure that there are people out there who are expriencing an amazing relationship with their PPC's -But am I wrong in thinking that we're all getting screwed by devices that are inherently flawed? If I bought a car, stereo, or TV that had this many problems I would have taken it back on the first day. Are we all being too accepting of our BETA projects. I'm getting tired of being the guinnee pig for these phone manufacturers who try to put their product on the market as fast as they can without fully testing them and then fail to provide adequate support for the fools who purchased them.
In my case, the JAM definitely meets my expectations and also exceeds them in many ways. To start with, it's been running stable since I installed the Qtek ROM ver 1.11 a couple of months ago. It never hangs and rarely requires a soft reset. I sometimes soft reset just to clear some memory.
It's a full featured PDA in the size of a mobile phone, which is exactly what I was after. The quality of the camera may not be that good, but 1.3 Megapixel is about the size of the picture not the quality. I had a Sony Ericsson P900 before the JAM and the quality of the camera was much worse.
From the software side of things, there's a lot of FREEWARE software available, including battetry monitors. The software available for the competition (i.e. Symbian), is far more limited!
In my opinion, the JAM was a good buy and as yet I don't think there's a replacement for it (convergence devices in a reasonable size!). I used to change my mobile phone every 4 to 6 months. But this time, I think I'll only replace the JAM with JAM2
Basically, you're right. I wouldn't sell the device though, because it delivers the most features from all mobile phones. You can have decent navigation, great games (TombRaider etc.), watch music, have a good music player and great other applications. It's like a PC and it's basically what i expected: You can watch movies but it doesn't ring reliably every morning. My PC does the same stuff, the same kind of problem - it's not mobile phone - just a small PC with a phone application.
I assure you that you won't find a phone with that amount of features that currently runs more stable than MS Phone Edition device. If you want stability - choose one of the old Nokias. They are stable, reliable, good phones - and extremely boring. If you want all features in your pocket - take the Magician. There just is no device with the best of both worlds! Get used to it.
By the way - the full featured (and not upgradeable) phones sold today are even worse with regards to their reliability and stability.
IMO hp dropped the ball with their h63xx, wanting to have the device out asap caused alot of troubles and angry customers.
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Used to have the GPRS problem (Qtek 1.11WWE ROM) it's now gone (using i-mate 1.11WWE). The camera is still lousy (way worse than the Nokia's 1.3MP cameras) I think this is a hardware issue also (maybe they used cheaper sensors on it?).
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as for i-mate's support it is one of the worst I've had the displeasure of going thru (or not going thru for that matter). I'm very thankful for communites that really fill the gap (i.e. this one!!!)
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I'm happy with my JAM been using a PPC for almost 3 years I've accepted it's short comings as well as it's value... remember the i-mate JAM is a PocketPC first and a phone second. Sure there is alot of room for improvement in the platform especially the UI (it could be simpler and more one-handed friendly; MS says WM5.0 will address this but I think we'd have to wait for 6.0 or 7.0 to really have a refined OS). maybe it is time for you to explore another communication device. maybe a symbian s60 device which is a decent smartphone (used to own a Nokia 7610 and it was a pretty decent phone). i understand ur frustration and the best way to show it is with ur wallet. i'm sure you won't be buying an i-mate next time... hope u find a device that will suite ur needs. goodluck!
After The Upgrade
After the upgrade the camera is less grainy in flourescent situations, but more clear and sharp on outdoor shoots. I'm not going to sell this baby, looks are superb and hardware response is excellent just keep in mind to get a ultra fast SD card like what I did with my Sd which is a Kingston 512MB no delays no hangs and no need to soft reset.
I've posted over here my findings after living with the Universal for a week instead of the Wizard. I'm wondering if my experience is typical. If you have used both, I'd appreciate your comment. Hopefully it might help someone else who is deciding which one to buy or keep.
(Please reply in Universal thread to avoid duplication).
hmmm...
Well at least I was happy to read that my choice isn't that bad after all...
I have in the past used the Blue Angel, the Magician and now the wizrad.
However I was really seriously considering swapping my device with a Universal - and I even had a person at my office that was willing to trade devices - new for new... when I got my wizard - 2 days later he got his universal and 3 days later he came to the conclusion that it's just to big to be used as a normal day to day use phone.
And one of the things that really made me seriously consider his offer was my assumption that the Universal is much faster and will offfer me a snappier and more responsive user interface with less lag and instant results (just like we all want and expect)... I didn't really try his phone - just played with it for 5 seconds.
I declined his offer due to the sheer bulk and weight of the universal which I assumed would render the device useless in my case... however I always felt like I was probably missing out on something... speed, 3G, VGA screen, large screen, amazing keyboard etc...
So... reading your comparison I am totally relieved that not only is it bulkier - it's also slower to respond...
ha. Good decision.
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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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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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.
Hi Ppl,
I new here and new to PDA as well. After see everything in the market...
I have really liked the Atom Life.....But There seem to be quite few bad reviews about the Phone......So is worth getting the phone......
@tazzak m8 firstly hi and lemme say one thing that i surely feel what you are going through right now that is exactly what i felt in august (at the time of my buying the LIFE)
you know since then i have actually wondered and awed at why the LIFe got such reviews .... since my buying this phone which had come with the WM6 official ROM installed (though i have upgraded it twice officially since then) i have had no problems NO PROBLEMS what so ever...
though i surely have a few qualms that guys at O2 could have had an icing to the cake with a 128MB RAM (though this is not any slower) and the other complain is that all hardware vendors should do something bout the Batteries as these PPCs are huge power hogs due to their large screens it seems but then even with my Nokias i charge them daily (with regular use)
in the end i must say that my choice has never been a regret for me !
welcome to the world of Windows Mobile ;-)
How are the Speakers on it OK?
I usually use the spaeker phone for calls most of the time......
just dont buy this devise
The speakerphone is OK, but the volume isn't high enough to use it as a car handsfree. If you're in a room without much noise you should be good. I am very satisfied with mine, but they do have their quirks. Like a crappy original battery. Get one of the cheap batteries available on eBay, it will actually work better than the original. The original has problems with restarts on incoming call if they are too low on power (which means everything below 50 %).
Mastiff said:
The speakerphone is OK, but the volume isn't high enough to use it as a car handsfree. If you're in a room without much noise you should be good. I am very satisfied with mine, but they do have their quirks. Like a crappy original battery. Get one of the cheap batteries available on eBay, it will actually work better than the original. The original has problems with restarts on incoming call if they are too low on power (which means everything below 50 %).
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Yup! agree should try it out before getting it. O2 Atom Life has its flaws
Like all PDA phones I've ever had. I actually started with an extremely primitive Motorola "smartphone" and have followed the development of more and more advanced models, along with straight PDA's from the PocketLoox and beyond, until they really converged. Not one of them has been without flaws, and strangely enough all forums I have been at seems to think that their phone brand is the only one with problems! (Like people with PocketLoox complaining about the bluetooth and that Ipaqs got a lot more updates. So I bouht an update. And found out that the reason it got more updates was that it had more problems, not just with bluetooth but other things as well!)
sounds like the phone gives a pain in the ass.
Just my opinion. been using O2 life for 4 mths now. Like most new phone/pda, I will start to install lots of stuff. Cause me lots of headache with auto off , drop call etc. Battery last less than 1 day. I have reformat and install only what I need. 1 whole month without any problem. The thing is, just install what you need and the world will be a beautiful place
I have a special way of doing this: I do a full setup of the Atom with all programs I use and all settings except contacts and appointments. Then I do a full backup with SPB Backup. In a month or so the unit wil start to mess with me (the first sign is usually that it won't charge in the cradle, connected to the PC, only in a regular charger). Then I do a hard reset and restore the backup. It takes 10 minutes to do this, and I have a virginal phone again. I have of course set camera and other things to save to the memory card. This way memory leaks and other annoyances can be stopped very fast!
Great phone - and other things
Like you, I read the negative reviews but there wasn't a device out there that somone didn'nt like. I bit the bullet and upgraded my XDA II Mini which was OK but I had some gripes with and bought my new Life. It's been a great device with absolutely no problems. It even works well as a speakerphone but my car is pretty quiet. Simple solution - run the phone through your stereo, either using an FM transmitter or plug it in and you'll have no problems hearing.
My phone is very stable but I do agree that the stock battery life is crappy.
Highly recommended.
Actually, Atom Life is an excelent device but it has its flaws. What made it a bad device is because of the support. Most problems faced by customers are not solved. Instead, customers are asked to hard reset as the solution.
O2 Asia is terrible. The new company, MGW seems to be no different. It has been about 4 months MGW existed but their web page remain unfinish. This is mainly because the CEO is the same person.
If I ever change my PDA, I'll go for HTC. Why? O2 Xda II mini which is O2 Asia bestselling device is made by HTC, or better known as Magician.
MWg is selling a newer version which comes with WM6 pre-installed. Does anyone have that version? Is it any better?
Mobileplanet / Expansys is selling it at 399 which makes it a great deal IMHO.
Adamantite said:
MWg is selling a newer version which comes with WM6 pre-installed. Does anyone have that version? Is it any better?
Mobileplanet / Expansys is selling it at 399 which makes it a great deal IMHO.
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I am selling this phone cheaper. I am using it and I really like Atom Life, especially since the 1900 3G works well with AT&T in the US.
As stated in the thread title, I am seriously considering returning my HTC Touch HD2, because I find it almost completely unusable compared to the iphone that I owned previously.
Pros
- Amazing screen
- Everything else that has been highlighted in all the positive reviews that persuaded me to buy the device in the first place (spec, camera, connectivity etc.)
Cons:
- Touchscreen keyboard is unusable and not accurate, even after calibaration (compared to an iphone)
- Web browsing using Opera is frustrating due to the unreliable touchscreen - I find it impossible to click on links; particularly on sites such as this one (with small page numbers etc.) - even when I zoom right in I still can't click the link - there is a huge delay before anything happens, without any feedback to show the link has been clicked - this stuff just worked on the iphone, depsite the smaller screen
- Random app switching, erratic behaviour (screen moving on its own) and regular freezes in all modes/apps
For those who think I am some kind of Apple fan-boy, that couldn't be further from the truth - my iphone developed a dead strip of icons, which forced me to sell it for peanuts, so I vowed to never buy another! The truth of the matter is that the UI of the HD2 just isn't in the same league as the iphone - it's just a cheap imitation.
Maybe if it had Android instead of WM it would stand a chance, but as things currently stand, I find the HD2 completely unusable and will probably be returning it on Monday and getting an iphone, assuming I can persuade Mobile Phones Direct to adhere to the distance selling regulations that provide a 7 day cooling off period (according to their T&C's this only stands if the box is unopened, which is wrong)
Please note that I am posting this for the benefit of others, to provide my personal feedback after using the phone for the last few days. If anyone has any suggestions for how to rectify the problems noted above, I will happily try them.
Catman
I feel your pain...
Hi,
I know how you feel - I've only had it a day and i'm already getting that dreaded feeling! On the plus side I'm delighted to be away from that Stalin 'Jobsie' and his locked down iPhones - on the down side this HD2 is about as user friendly as the space shuttle compared to the jesus phone, and I sued to be so impressed with the iPaq from 6 years ago!!
I do think that I can live with it - just it's not going to be the long winded love affair type relationship - more the 'throwing at the wall' one minute, loving it the next!
Luckily, mines through o2 so i'm going to run with it for 10 days and see how we get along - if all else fails then there's always the 3GS to fall back onto. Although I wasn't for Android on this handset to begin with - from where i'm sitting now it does make more sense!
Good luck figuring it all out!
Look here :http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
For some handy tweaks including, haptic feedback in Opera and the abiltiy to click links without zooming in!!!
But I do feel your pain, a little let down with the OS on this phone, everything else is excellent..... build quality, screen, asthetics, CPU, RAM, etc.. Just the OS is a pile of poo! lol
The truth of the matter is that the UI of the HD2 just isn't in the same league as the iphone - it's just a cheap imitation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. You just proof yourself wrong ^^. Whether its better or worse is another question, but imitation? You mean the shortcuts on home screen? You're just *****in'. Pls close this thread we dont need that destructive posts.
Advice: Sell the HD2 and dont complain. I can click even the small ugly boxes in Windows Mobile itself. I dont know how long you've tried to click somethin', but if you really feel that it is impossible for you go back to resistive screen, on the Touch HD it wasnt that bad IMO.
NetDwarf said:
Thanks a lot. You just proof yourself wrong ^^. Whether its better or worse is another question, but imitation? You mean the shortcuts on home screen? You're just *****in'. Pls close this thread we dont need that destructive posts.
Advice: Sell the HD2 and dont complain. I can click even the small ugly boxes in Windows Mobile itself. I dont know how long you've tried to click somethin', but if you really feel that it is impossible for you go back to resistive screen, on the Touch HD it wasnt that bad IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion...even one sided twerps like you.
It's kinda strange for me to read your feedback, I had chance to play with the test version of the HD2 and things worked pretty well, most of your "cons" I could not find on my preliminary experience!?
Catman3146 said:
assuming I can persuade Mobile Phones Direct to adhere to the distance selling regulations that provide a 7 day cooling off period
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(hollow laugh)
Good luck with that.
I hear you man. I have the same considerations..
I don't have freezes or random app switching though. and I don't really care about the UI since I use spb mobile shell which runs excellent and so god damn fast on this thing.
but the screen is a problem when browsing. it's not accurate enough for my taste. and using the keyboard is also more cumbersome than on my Topaz...
it really is a beautiful and fast device. sometimes it feels like using a computer more than a phone and that's pretty cool too.
I'm still thinking...
Your poor experience seems to be the result of a faulty handset. For the first 4 days of receiving my HD2, the phone's touchscreen kept making its own decisions, even when left idling on the desk. The touchscreen registered wrong inputs and I had the same impressions of the phone as you have now. It was the final straw when the phone just kept registering the 2 option in Phone mode and refused to stop until I hit the soft reset button.
I took it down to the shop I bought the phone from, had it exchanged after explaining the situation (it did take a threat of wanting a full refund when they initially refused to classify the phone as faulty) and the replaced new handset is a complete different phone to the first one I had, the touchscreen does what suppose to do!
Before throwing all hopes away on the HD2, trying getting it replaced first. It is a genuinely good product, it's a shame that quality control has let some of us down.
Your experience with Opera should be resolved by Karlos G's link.
[EDIT] My phone was also purchased from Mobile Phones Direct. They are rather poor when it comes to refund and exchanges, trying to make up excuses as to why you cannot refund or exchange the phone (lies, lies and more lies... just don't go with the flow). State your case and don't let them push you around.
I guess your are one of the unlucky people to get a "monday"-device. mine has none of the problems you have. my screen is accurate, opera is sometimes picky when you don't zoom in, and I have never experienced any erratic behaviour. the only problem I can recall is the camera issue (pink teint).
I applied Karlo G's link but I still have problems clicking links when zoomed out. maybe I have to get more accurate I'm still getting used to a capacitive screen.
chronicle said:
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion...even one sided twerps like you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think NetDwarf has a point... an imitation? Hello? on the iphone you've got hundrets of icons and THAT'S IT!... but this beautiful Sense UI. an Imitation? omg
I agree about the keyboard. I don't understand why they couldn't just have made it the same as the one on the Hero, which is excellent.
Maybe in the next software update they will sort the problem. I have tried some other keyboards and they are even worse than the stock one IMHO, so I'm starting to think it's partly to do with the screen sensitivity. I have tried the sensitivity tweak .cab which purports to help the issue but still it frustrates me.
The word prediction algorithms on the iPhone are infinitely superior, and the screen sensitivity is balanced just right. I have both phones in front of me right now and so have a good balanced perspective on this issue.
Here's my opinion on what is better and what is worse of the two based on a year's ownership of an iPhone and a week's ownership of the HD2 (just based on my USAGE, not pure spec!)
iPhone 3G Pros
More balanced screen sensitivity compared to the HD2 - fewer mistakes with the keyboard or onscreen selections.
More efficient and reliable browsing experience
Transflective screen.
Built in podcatching client. I'm yet to find one to compare with iTunes on the iPhone, although Google Listen comes close on Android. Hopefully they will port it to Windows Mobile soon. iTunes finds even the most obscure Podcasts, most other podcatchers require going online to find feeds that are not well known as their database doesn't have the same span as Apple's iTunes store.
Comparatively small in the hand
Better loudspeaker - clear and resonant.
Better Facebook client (by a HUGE margin)
Better BBC iPlayer experience/general online multimedia experience. Many sites tailor their output to iPhone.
Easier to quickly send/reply to a text (I use iRealQuickSMS and I dont think anything similar is available on WinMo)
Built in App Store with 100s of thousands of apps at very reasonable prices (yes I know a lot of them are crap)
Better Youtube app with full sign-in option which includes subscriptions' newest videos
I prefer the iPhone email client.......the Windows one is horrible for HTML content (sorry guys)
Much better IM client in the form of Beejive than anything Windows Mobile currently has on offer. IM+ is slow and ugly.
More tightly knit development and modding scene (XDAs is split over multiple handsets)
iPhone 3G cons
Inconvenient for quickly adding music - iTunes can be a bit of a cludge
Conversion of Video content is almost always required and takes so long that I don't usually bother unless I'm going on a long journey.
Comparatively low screen resolution, screen isn't as bright and clear as the HD2
Limited bluetooth support (although I don't GENERALLY need bluetooth
No option to buy an extra battery so I often have to carry an external one with me.
Low RAM so things often slow down with heavy usage.
Processor not as powerful as that of the HD2 (although it does have hardware acceleration)
HD2 Pros
Gorgeous, huge screen
Multitasking (although I only use it for IM and the iPhone has push notifications which don't use anywhere near as much battery as having an App constantly running in the background and connected to the internet.)
1ghz processor and plenty of RAM means few slowdowns
Video playback without conversion (through Coreplayer)
Nicer weather integration than the iPhone
Better camera than iPhone 3G (but not 3Gs), dual flash.
Great built quality, slimmer than the iPhone.
More comprehensive browser, similar speed but greater screen real-estate and download support. More browser tweaks available.
Open operating system....supports third party skins such as Touchflo and PointUI
Better sound quality through the same Apple headset as the iPhone (in my opinion). Richer, warmer sound.
Easily customisable ringtones and message tones through the device itself, with no jailbreaking required.
Once unlocked, stays unlocked. No worries about device baseband update causing SIMlock.
Facebook and Youtube account/upload integration.
Expandable memory, easier to add files than the iPhone.
HD2 cons
Fiddly UI generally compared to iPhone.
Oversensitive keyboard. Poor prediction algorithms that seem to rely too heavily on getting the first letter right.
Tinny and poor quality speaker. Sounds like an old AM radio on full blast. Awkward positioning on the back.
Paltry 2g card included in box. iPhone comes preloaded with 8gb minimum
Battery charges a lot slower than iPhone
Poor App store - overpriced Apps, too few innovative ones....most of the best ones such as Coreplayer just aren't there. This is not the HD2s fault, it's just that it has a big effect on the user experience when an App store has such a lame selection. Hands up the man who'd pay £5.99 for Pacman, or £18.14 for SPB Wallet!!!
Youtube app is limited and doesn't support account subscriptions. For such a socially-orientated device this is poor show for HTC, and I'm disappointed.
Inbuilt Twitter app is inferior to most iPhone freebies such as Echofon, and a million miles away from being as good as Tweetie. The nearest Windows Marketplace Equivalent TouchTwit costs £3.99 (Tweetie is £1.79 and still a lot better). Microsoft need to get their arse in gear and sort out the Marketplace.
Rubbish Facebook app, browser is better.
These points are just what came to mind for me based on MY WANTS AND NEEDS.
I do like the HD2, I'm not saying it's rubbish. Most of the problems are just about the software, and if Microsoft step up and get the Marketplace right, and HTC release a new ROM with some upgrades and tweaks then who knows.....things might be ten times better.
Aside from it's **** speaker and the slightly dodgy camera tint issue I cannot fault the HD2's hardware. It is really lush, and I love holding it. It is a joy to have in the hand.
Catman3146 said:
As stated in the thread title, I am seriously considering returning my HTC Touch HD2, because I find it almost completely unusable compared to the iphone that I owned previously.
Pros
- Amazing screen
- Everything else that has been highlighted in all the positive reviews that persuaded me to buy the device in the first place (spec, camera, connectivity etc.)
Cons:
- Touchscreen keyboard is unusable and not accurate, even after calibaration (compared to an iphone)
- Web browsing using Opera is frustrating due to the unreliable touchscreen - I find it impossible to click on links; particularly on sites such as this one (with small page numbers etc.) - even when I zoom right in I still can't click the link - there is a huge delay before anything happens, without any feedback to show the link has been clicked - this stuff just worked on the iphone, depsite the smaller screen
- Random app switching, erratic behaviour (screen moving on its own) and regular freezes in all modes/apps
For those who think I am some kind of Apple fan-boy, that couldn't be further from the truth - my iphone developed a dead strip of icons, which forced me to sell it for peanuts, so I vowed to never buy another! The truth of the matter is that the UI of the HD2 just isn't in the same league as the iphone - it's just a cheap imitation.
Maybe if it had Android instead of WM it would stand a chance, but as things currently stand, I find the HD2 completely unusable and will probably be returning it on Monday and getting an iphone, assuming I can persuade Mobile Phones Direct to adhere to the distance selling regulations that provide a 7 day cooling off period (according to their T&C's this only stands if the box is unopened, which is wrong)
Please note that I am posting this for the benefit of others, to provide my personal feedback after using the phone for the last few days. If anyone has any suggestions for how to rectify the problems noted above, I will happily try them.
Catman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for me the HD2 is the best. I agreed with the keyboard but i found a solution.
Install Touch Pal and a cab in order to reduce the sensentive leval of the screen (the cab you can download on this forum). Now i can write even better as on the pro 2 - its really great. Forget I-Phone now.
I always find, the best thing to do with a new phone, is try some tweaks etc and then if it doesn't work out, return it. The tweaks usually fix most of the issues that people have. Without this site I would have really regretted getting my X1 for example. But XDA made it amazing.
I love the HD2, and the only problem I have had so far is getting used to the capacitive screen. Any of the other things (like task manager) have been fixed using tweaks from here.
We are so lucky to have all the amazing guys here on XDA developing and discovering all these tweaks for us, and keeping them all in one place.
I suggest you try some of these (they should fix most of your issues).
I would agree, the keyboard can be crazy. But I think it is a case of getting used to it. Every phone is going to be different. That's the nature of the world we live in.
Even then, I think the cons you have mentioned (most of which are fixable).
I hope you do try those tweaks and that they work for you.
Thanks for all your helpful suggestions and comments. I think it is important for people to get a balanced view about the device (particularly compared to the iphone), after reading so many unilaterlly positive reviews that fail to mention many of the flaws I have highlighted.
I will try the tweaks suggested and see how I get over the next couple of days before making a final decision (I'll post an update here), but HTC really should have done a better job with the initial release (the iphone had none of these problems - I bought one of the very first handsets in the US way before it was released here in the UK).
I am still hopeful that the issues are primarily software-related rather than dodgy hardware, but I will try to get a replacement out of MPD to try if this proves to not be the case.
I think you will find Catman, that most of the issues are related to the way the ROM is setup.
I think the tweaks should fix some of them. Have a read through the tips and tweaks list, and see what you can find. Some of them should help. Also, the CABs from smaberg here should also help.
If you sell it, contact me asap !
I am ok to buy !
For anyone struggling with the keyboard, go to the hints and tips thread and install the referenced CAB to reduce screen sensitivity. My keyboard was basically unusable but installed it and it works about the same as the iPhone maybe slightly better because errors are still corrected with the dictionary a lot better...
Catman3146 said:
but HTC really should have done a better job with the initial release (the iphone had none of these problems - I bought one of the very first handsets in the US way before it was released here in the UK).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow if you think the iPhone had no problems at launch, you really are living in backwards land.
BTW, I don't think any HD2s have exploded yet either. I'm not sure if you think incendiary injuries are a positive or negative feature? To be "balanced" we should agree that it is both.
Wow, I find the keyboard excellent, I wonder whether its a ROM-version thing...
Regards browser - have you tried Opera Mobile 10?