I've been toying with swapping my Exec for one of the Etens - nice unit, small, compact, rugged, with GPS, and it wouldn't cost me anything, i could swap between them, because we have lots of stuff at work - but ultimately there are things i'd miss, despite the size
So i thought i'd list them, to convince myself
1) Wireless
2) The Keyboard
3) Sensible headphone socket.
I'd LIKE a radio, which the Eten will have soon (software on the way), but i would not really use gps.
So what's on your perfect XDA?
Mobile 5
Keyboard
802.11
Radio
Bags of memory
physically robust - a turning screen with a smaller one on the "reverse" side
bluetooth can f**k off
Considering what you like in a PDA, and what you wouldn't use, you're mad to even consider swapping.
I LIKE:
Bluetooth headset
WiFi
VGA Screen
proper keyboard (well - as good as it gets)
I find irritating:
incomplete keyboard
occasional slowness
PIE
lack of outer screen
certain usability issues (eg locations of stylus/buttons etc).
What I like about my Exec is its design. I love the Laptop design, VGA screen, and keyboard. This is also the reason why I bought the Sony UX50 and UX40.
The only desire I want is added speed, nothing else.
Easy question to answer:
The form factor.
However, on the flip side:
2K3se beats WM5 for apps and stability, speed and memory usage.
The memory allotment is DISGRACEFUL.
The VGA implementation needs a kick between the legs.
The SD card and Power button are on the wrong end of the device.
The battery life could do to have some red bull.
The speakers (oh goodie, stereo) aren't as good as the (mono) one in my Alpine.
The chips in it aren't easy enough to replace.
Would it kill HTC to pay lip service (and nothing more) to MS and make it a little tricky for us to modify these devices instead of spending weeks and weeks of man hours making them almost impossible to customise?
Woudl it kill MS to let us do what we want with our own property?
Would it be too much to ask to be able to wipe off that MS crap that we have already paid for and then run Linux?
The whole HTC/MS thing is a killer. We have here a device that should take the world by storm, a baby sized laptop with built in phone. This is what we have been waiting for since the Nokia Communicator came out, isn't it? Palm tried to make it, clamshell phones are popular because of it, and the Universal is the first one to get near the ideal. But without 512MB of RAM and 1GB of storage (minimum) it will forever be a fill-in device until we can boot up our laptops.
Sorry, I'm passionate about this. I love my m5000, but life ain't fair.
When it comes to the Universal I like the
-keyboard
-great screen
-build
-stability (sounds weird, but I found it more stable than my IIs with 2k3 SE)
-Sounds great
-Proper earphone jack
-Voice dialling over BT
quite a bit more I guess.. Just my 2 cents
a small colour display on the casing would have capped this device off for me.
I like
- the form factor
- Solid build
- VGA well screen, I agree VGA in WM5 could be better utilised
- stereo speakers
- wifi
- Keyboard
- Phone functions (Out of the mpx200, 220 and mini this phone has the best reception on both ends out of the whole lot)
- 3G
Since last Qtek Rom Update 1.30.96 GER I like everything on the software side.
But the VGA feature really needs a mockup.
the keyboard is the only one acceptable until now (did you try to enter passwords consisting of letters and numbers without the number keys at the top?)
Memory is enough for my needs as I can anytime add a 1 GB SD card.
Battery could be lasting longer.
Related
New owners, what would you guys like to se on the next generation Jasjar (maybe in six month or a year from now)?
I am not tallking about the OS (thas MS part and can be rectified with updates), I mean hardware wise.
On my part:
1.) Built in FM reciever would be nice. (if the technolory is there, then why not?
2.) At least 512Mb built in mem (making it ~$20-35 more expensive, still I belive everyone that bougth it now would still do so). This in not a serious issue.
3.) Edge
4.) Full handsfree profile support (maybe this is more with software, you tell me)
5.) External LCD display for: caller id (I belive this is critical), battery level, network strenght, etc. even if its just monochrome it would be a great help.
6.) Wlan 80.11g an obvious plus
7.) I could live with 1-2cm wider but have a psion/notebook type keyboard...
...
P.S: to be correct (persay) only things that you wouldn't mind paying a little extra for, if it was included...
How about having Navigation like Mouse which we have in Nokia Communicators... which will save the time of pulling stylus and using it one hand while we hold the device in other hand.
mniko said:
How about having Navigation like Mouse which we have in Nokia Communicators... which will save the time of pulling stylus and using it one hand while we hold the device in other hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, that would realy help things like scrolling, which right now can only be done with stylus.
What I want the most is built in GPS. It's a pest having to charge up an external unit and remembering to bring all the right car adapters etc. so a built in unit would be awesome.
It would also be nice to see some of the new thin and flexible OLED type displays added which would reduce power consumption and make the displays less likely to break when dropped.
I'd also like to have a little hole on the corner of the device! I know it's not very techie, but I'd like some way of attaching a chain or cord to my device which attaches to my belt, so that if (or when!) you drop your device it wont hit the ground!
How about building in a virtual laser keyboard into the device:
www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com
On the graphics front, I'd like hardware acceleration of H.264 encoded videos (the format that's going to replace MPEG-2, MPEG-4 etc.). It would be nice if the built in camera could save in this format as well, because it would be a big space saver.
As for batteries, I wish they'd hurry up and release some of the new technology they've been talking about for years - better battery life, super fast charge times etc.
Well, you might think the Universal is the ultimate device, but there's so much more to add before I'll be happy!
-no1
my wishes
My wish list:
1. Extra rom storage like 4GB (palm now does it!)
2. A backup system like the one in Blue Angel
3. full USB hosting functionality, so we can use a usb mouse or external usb keyboard or usb mem sticks
4. vga out support so we can project on wide screen
5. firewire support
- After all if this is to be a mini laptop, let us have the full monty then instead of baby face gizmos
Me out :wink:
I really wish the following 4 most wanted and easily possible features add to JasJar. I am definitely waiting for successor of Jasjarl with follwoing and currently I'm happy with my XDAII. Current Jasjar is useless compare to my XDAII since there are only few programs works and still so many bugs/requirements in both hardware and OS.
1. FM Radio
2. 640x480 video recording with 2 or more MegaPixel Camera
3. Full Handsfree bluetooth audio(MP3 listening)
4. 800x480 screen for internet browsing.(a little longer 4.5" screen is acceptable like samsung Nexio XP30,Nokia 770).
Some other wish list
1.Video Output(RCA/S-Video/VGA)
2.Videos from Camera can transmit through wifi
3.USB hosting
4.mobile TV(DVB-H) receiver
It's interesting to revisit this thread nearly two years later as HTC release the Touch Pro that includes almost all the functionality you guys listed above. Perhaps HTC were listening after all.
O2 have released again, wouldnt you think O2 might sort out the issue they have with so many Atom and Exec's before releasing yet another possibly faulty product? Why are retailers still disributing the Atom when 90% of them are faulty. I have checked numurous retail outlets that have Atom and Exec's on working display that blatantly have the mosquito LCD screen noise. I will do whatever I must do to get a refund on all my Atom's as they all are unbearable to hold against the ear whilst on a phone call, nobody wants bad publicity but as a consumer we expect the standards of the products we buy to match the price we pay.
perfect. and so?
O2 Stealth Review
Dear all
Don't quite understand why no one has given detailed opinion on this fine product from the O2 line of pda cellphones, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents (I've been using it for a week now, as a replacement phone for my O2 xda mini (ie Magician), the motherboard finally having failed after 1 year and 3 months of use due to instability issues:
1. OS
A very stable os running WM 5.0, and extremely efficient. 2 things that could have been improved, namely, the 2 touch screen items on the bottom left and right hand corners cannot be accessed without using the touch screen (ie with the Prophet, you could use the keypad to access these). Presumably, O2 wanted to keep the call and cancel functions exclusive. The 2nd aspect is the soft reset, which causes the volume to go back to full each time you do it. Fortunately, you'll find the device rarely crashes (the onboard memory is about 3 times the size of the Magician). Compatible with the Kingston 2GB mini sd card.
2. Bluetooth
Using the tornado cab to stream a2dp, the maximum volume is slightly disappointing (ie not loud enough even at max setting0, but something I can live with. Music streaming drops off more than the Magician, but again this is a minor quibble (just wear a shirt with a front pocket, or stick it in your jacket pocket rather than in your pant pockets).
3. Voice Quality
Quite good, and certainly improved over the Magician. Haven't tried using the handsfree yet, but HK is such a loud place that it's not gonna make much of a difference anyway.
4. Picture Quality
Stellar - with the flash function built in, you basically have a fully functional digital camera that takes fantastic pictures by day or by night. The picture frames that used to be available for the Magician or Prophet is now not featured in the photo mode, and must be added on by the Photo Editor.
5. Wi-Fi
Still slow, but really, cellphone size screens shouldn't be used to surf the net anyway. It's useful when you just want to quickly check some quick details (ie address of a restaurant) while you're on the move. Pocket MSN is a real boon to use.
6. Downloadable WM5.0 Applications
My main concern is finding a good emulator for my GBA and SNES games. Haven't located one for the SNES, and I still have to figure out how to make Gnuboy 1.0.3 work, but that's not O2's fault.
7. Recording
My favorite new feature - it's so simplistic that it's perfect for my meetings. You press one button to record, and the same button to stop. No more hassle having to choose recording quality (as with the Magician).
To conclude, this is probably the most fault free device O2 has released to date. I understand there were concerns that other Gigabyte (that's the OEM for the Stealth) cellphones weren't up to par, but for the record, Gigabyte is the largest motherboard maker in the ROC, and I would rather bank on my money with them than with Quanta (the OEM for the Atom)!
Looking for the built-in Answering Machine Application in Stealth ExtROM...
RE
Anybody can extract the answering machine program out?
Thanks
Just let you know my comparison of the two units after 5 days with the Xda Cosmo after having the Trion for the last 4 months. My Girlfriend brought me the Excalibur as a pre Christmas gift 8)
After 4 months my Trion main speaker stopped working and I have currently sent it back to get it replaced. All in all I was quite happy with the Trion except for a few quirks.
1. Media Player was buggy with the storage card
2. Never got WM5orage working properly (either had to stopo all my programs running on the storage card which included removing items from the Today screen).
3. Screen alignment problem.
I got the Hermes originally as it looked like a device which I didn't have to use the stylus much to access most of the functionality and in 90% of cases I got by with just using the jog wheel and a couple of presses with my thumb (I had the very first xda device and was turned off by the need to use the stylus to do simple things such as dialing and looking up contacts )
I had noticed due to the operating system PPC vs smartphone the PPC needed much more processing power and hence battery life was preety much limited due to the power from the CPU 400mhz vs 200mhz ( maybe of the extra functionality needed for the touchscreen ).
Differences in the devices
1. Xda Excalibur is more responsive even with the slower CPU. Contacts work instantly on typing on the keyboard. On the hermes there is always a delay in searching for contacts.
2. Excalibur supports multiple languages in its rom and therefore there no need to reflash the rom with the rom with your appropriate language.
3. A2DP works flawlessly on Excalibur being aku 3.2. No need to install cab files to get it working and no sound quality issues and no need to get somone to write a bt stack driver to get around the microsoft one.
4. Programs in general for smartphone seem to be running better than on Pocket PC. Tomtom 6 Navigator doesn't run on the Cosmo but Tomtom 5 work just fine and performance actually seems better on the smartphone even with the lower CPU. Same is notice with other PPC vs Smartphone progams I have eg Skype and Fizz Traveller
5. Cosmo has 128 MB flash ram which is really useful as I was always trying to install everything on the SD card with the Trion to get as much memory possible for standard stuff such as emails, ringtones etc. Yes I know you can tweak the Hermes to get ringtones from the SD card but it just a hassle changing the registry settings.
6. For some reason Windows Live Beta works on the Cosmo. It stopped working on the Hermes about a month ago and never worked since. The smartphone version looks really nice as well and functions much better as I have noticed with all smartphone vs ppc programs.
7. WLAN works much better on the Cosmo compared to the Hermes eg handling of connection settings when WLAN is turned on. On the Hermes I always had to go through the process of changing my connection settings every time I switched by WLAN on an off.
8. Battery life on cosmo is much better. 3.5-4 days use compared to 1.5-2 days use on Trion. Probably because of CPU (I also changed the Hermes to GPRS only to try and save battery life due to UMTS draining the battery)
9. Not to sing all praises for the Excalibur. The only drawback I have found so far for my purposes is the Microsoft Office editing functionality is not possible on the smartphone.
10. 2MP camera vs 1.3 MP camera but I really cannot see much advantage in the quality as the 2MP wasnt that great to start with. Yes the Hermes has a led light but I doesn't really help with indoor photos. The 1.3 MP camera seems to be better quality than other 1.3 MP cameras before and for emails, web photos and MMS quality seems fine for my purposes as I wont ever print out photos from a camera handy.
11. Lack to UMTS/HSDPA on Excalibur. Loose the speed but you'll gain heaps on battery life.
12. Microsoft Media Player works with the SD card. No disappearing songs 8)
13. Price. The excalibur is less than 1/6 the price of the Trion on contract. My Girlfriend brought the Cosmo on contact for 60 Euro. I got the Trion for 320 Euro on the same contact.
14. and I think this is the killer. The excalibur have looks to die for. The Hermes is thick and although many people would say it is solidly built after using the Excalibur it makes the Hermes look like a oversized flimsy machine. The Excalibur is thin and compact with a large screen. Fits in your shirt pocket or even slide it into your jeans!!! HTC have outdone themselves with the build quality I haven't seen any phone build as solid including the razr. I fells like the device is made out of titanium or magnesium with a soft feel rubber all along the back of the device and for the keys as well, ( I cat't stop touching the device it feels sooo.. good ). My Girlfriend who is really fashion concious absolutely loves the look of the device. Photos on the net do not do it justice you have to see it in real to appreciate it's looks for me one look and it was love at first sight. (I first got a look at it from a female collegue who got the phone)
It took me a day to get used to the smaller keyboard and maybe bigger thumbs might have some problems but with rubber keys feel beautiful and make each key feel distinct during typing. The excalibur really is a one hand device even with the d pad and keys only. The touch slider is just a added bonus with flexibility.
After writing this I have noticed that this is more of a sales pitch for the excalibur than a comparison of the two devices but I have found my perfect device which does everything I need without any problems ( performance, bugs and quirks ). If you dont need the UMTS speed I must say Excalibur is the way to go. If you really need UMTS and 2MP camera then wait for the Calivier ( the UMTS /2 MP / 300Mhz version of the excalibur, rumoured to release in Spring next year ).
For me the excalibur seems to have a quite launch compared to the expectations of the Hermes maybe because on paper the Hermes looks better in terms of specifications but for usability it's excalibur all the way.
Now what to do with my Trion when it gets back?
excalibur is a smartphone right ?
Yes it is a smartphone but I think that is why it is much more responsive. Microsoft has done something right with wm5 for smartphone. Theres not much a smartphone cant do now compared to the pocket pc now. except for the microsoft office editing capabilities. I tried skype today and for some reason it was much more clearer than the pocket pc version.
it depends what you use it for..
if youre like me who has to do Office work, watch movies and play tradewinds then the touch screen is VITAL.. personally i dont have any issues with my hermes as the ones youve mentioned above..
and ofcourse there is the touch screen
I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.
k2snowboards88 said:
I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Have both, S620 to work and TyTn for play, and I had Wizard.
Try opera mini... better than IE and I use it also on HERMES
I've found a LOT of home screens (motorola Q has many of it) but also I like to play with XML, using just notepad and I have now my PERFECT , tre pages (scrolling), Home screen!
Office problems? try the new DATAWIZ suite, much better than office embedded in TyTN
Great as navigator and fits in my jeans pocket (the BACK pocket) and in my shirt pocket!
I 've sold the wizard believing the HERMES was the empowered Wizard. It Is the STUPID WIZARD'S BIG BROTHER believe me!
I've tried opera mini, and i dont particularly like it. I consider it to be a step down from the standard PIE with the reg edit to make PIE identify itself as a desktop computer. I guess i just miss the adaptability of my wizard. My hermes will be here soon though. I'll never make the mistake of selling my old phone before getting a new one again. If i dont like the hermes, i'll still have my blackjack. After a week, i'll decide which one to keep.
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Because they are working on this!
HTC Shift and that is not all!
But you are right, BA is the top model!
Blue Angel rulesss
It really is amazing how I'm still sticking with my BA since it was released.
Every year I look around to find a PDAphone to replace the old fellow, but I have to realize, that there isn't a better one.
I would accept the same device with 640*480 and 3G/HSDPA
Been thinking about the Kaiser, but since WM6 is running on my BA now... =)
Why throw the good cash out the window?
Same thought here. Best money I've spent in BA!!
rambo6 said:
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will be a beauty, i would surely go for it. BlueAngle rules.
noob @ xda....but a loooong time BA user (Dec2004)
I love the BA...the only things it lacks are a good built in GPS & HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE (can never have enough fast options for net access). Even without these two things I still am able to use it to impress people (even iphone fanatics...no custom apps).
TyTN II looks good but the only thing that keeps me away is the sideways keyboard, I wish they would put out a TyTN II with a slider KB like the BA. Single handed KB is great when you really need to multitask...multitasking is the reason I got a HTC.
Rugged Build story: I dropped it from 5ft+ (I had it chest level & I am 6' 3"), on a SF sidewalk...it died..or so I thought took it back home and all that happened was the backup battery reset and once I synced it with my pc everything was back to normal. This wasn't the first time its been dropped so I figured it was time to get a new device, but the build is awesome in this. But since it was a hard reset I finally decided to put WM6 on it (thank you all the great xda developers here), now its faster and more useful.
rambo6 said:
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and a 3.2 MP camera ...
I would sell my house to get some thing similar !!!
I love my Blue Angel ! 3 Years with me, never let me down.
I Love it! Blue Angel is the top for me.. Every time a look around for new PDA, look at new release from HTC, never found all i have in BA. Best thing - Size is exactly what a device like this must be! 3.7 display - not too big, not too small. I broke my lcd+touchscreen, replaced from e-bay, and I am still using it.
Don't like the idea of GPS in the unit. Better on Bluetooth - in your car mount BA don't have clear view to the sky.
Blue Angel II (if any) should not have key board.
I love my Blue Angel, after upgrading to WM6, I dont like to buy any other available in market.
I like Blueangel the way it is, but wanted it to have a better processor (520mhz would be nice), VGA Screen, Accelerated video, 3G and landscape keyboard.
EmZvr said:
I like Blueangel the way it is, but wanted it to have a better processor (520mhz would be nice), VGA Screen, Accelerated video, 3G and landscape keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
vma said:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly... i wanted to upgrade to a universal, but since wm6 came out i stayed on with it. its nice to have a dinosaur that can rock along the newer models.
vma said:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right but I don't like it's design, only if there were buttons in the front.. And I think it's not video accelerated which is very important to me. Or is it ?
Hi,
I am not sure if it is videoaccelerated or not, but I can tell you that all applications I like work as good or better on my Universal as on my BA:
- Emulators
- TomTom
- TCPMP
The Universal is slightly bigger than the BA and one has to get used to the tilting screen.
On the other hand, it is much nicer to have the Universal in the back-pocket of your trousers than having then BA attached to the belt, where it get's hit by doors or other things, when you move to close to walls...
And believe me: the VGA screen is suberb!!!
Cheers,
vma
Same Here
BA is the best. Love it very much although i was given a gift of HTC TyTn.
E-TEN X800 or M800 seems to be my current candidate for BA replacement.
BA is a really good dinosaur. Hard to let it go.
However, remember that there are some awfully crappy things about it. It's not perfect.
- somewhat power hungry
- awful cradle connector
- audio out funtion in cradle connector newer worked for me (for any carkit)
- has confirmed hardware issue with buttons (loss of response - makes gaming hard)
- has crappy WM2003SE (because, face it... no WM5 WM6 ROM is stable and bug free enough)
I agree, that it's hard to find a decent replacement for it.
All model have too small screens...
Won't go back......
I checked out all the other models, older and current, before I bought the BA. I have a Wizard, which now resides in a drawer, only as a back-up, in case something happens to my BA. The only criticism I have of the BA is that they no longer manufacture it, so I too hope HTC comes out with something to replace it. From what I've seen of the newer models and what I read on this forum everyday, I'll stick with the BA.
BTW, robal, take a look at the rom I,m running. Since upgrading from 2003se to this rom, I have had 0 issues. It's fast, stable and battery life is acceptable.
i've since moved on from my BA to a hermes and now a kaiser......i miss my BA.
well BA has its design faults
1.the cable which connects lcd to motherboard is weak and after some sliding it cracks - this effect can be solved (extend the durability) with Polyethylene Foam Tape on the cable
2.after sliding there there are sme scratches below the hardware keyboard - repainting
3.the stylus pin (inside the device) which hold the stylus from falling off also cracks after too many usage - i fixed it with silicone (as i lost the pin) and it works fine over a year now
other than that the device is pretty solid and had no problems with it
most are the new WM problems but without proper drivers it is almost inpossible to be solved
in comparission with kaiser the BA has better video acceleration for the moment (this will change when the proper kaiser drivers are released)
What BA miss (the things i miss in it):
internal GPS
54 mbit wireless
better camera (2 mpix)
OpenGL ES hardware acceleration
larger rom space (32 mb right now if it was larger we can create more complete rom images for BA)
larger storage space 60 mb (everyone needs more space)
What BA miss (the things i do not miss in it):
3G/3.5G/HSDPA etc - high speed data connections - due to high proces of this types of connections i do not really need them
Video Call - the same as above
the CPU speed and the amount of ram in BA are enough for WM 6 and 6.1 even if it was released in 2004...
but maybe proper replacement is the Universal or the Kaiser (for now)
we will see what will happen in near future
I bought my Atom life a year ago and I still think that today this phone is a great deal.
Granted there are a few drawbacks: battery life, ram, ____
So with that my question. Owning an atom what will you look for in your next device.
My list:
- Design: i like the phones character and how it fits in my palm. So i will be picky about the design.
- Glossy paint - call me crazy but i do like it. feels high end vs SoftTouch rubber paint
- Full, long stylus.- easy to hold...
- POWER BUTTON on the right. easy to press.
- # of buttons- useful if you changed what they all do. flexible user experience.
- Flashlight with camera- useful.
- MACRO camera mode.
- Infra red- a dying technology still has sync and remote control uses. My IBM think pad sure dies like it. Not required but nice to have.
- build/finish quality- will be more critical of the paint/ finishes and construction. sadly atom life has some flaws.
- separate jack for headphones
- SCREEN PROTECTORS - how easy are they to apply...
- ROM size. 1 GB makes all the difference and solves headaches. more than 256 for sure. I keep all my installs on SD card and no personal files on the ppc.
- SD card export built in- i love connecting ppc to computer to access the Sd card
- screen brightness for outside use
- screen size -defiantly want a Longer screen (QWVGA WVGA)
and saving the best for last.
-MARVEL CPU
I hear too much bad press about qualcomm. Samsung CPUs- I hear better battery life but if that is so why no Omnia's have it lol.
lest hear your lessons learned/wishes for next devices.
Good Battery Life
Slim Form
Light
WM6.5+
3.5mm Audio Jack
VGA Screen
Good Layout for buttons
and SDHC support.
Bluetooth 2.0
Those would be the only things i'd really like to have with my next PDA. Everything else would just be an unnecessary addition to the phone
Batteries
Wi-fi (should be always present)
Ram
That just sums up what i need, well mostly, and besides hi tech comes with a price, more power hence much juice, now if they could just find a way to make high mah batteries thinner then the devices would be knockouts