Database Users

Me = Universal to Wizard convert

I am so amazingly happy since I made the switch from Universal to Wizard.
The Universal, whilst clearly higher spec, more powerful, more impressive screen etc - was an unusable bit of kit. I battled and battled and battled - I wanted this 'superior' equipment to serve me well. I upgraded and tested various ROMs, tried every minor registry tweak and software trick known to man. Despite everyone in the Universal forum saying it *was* possible to get a solid, fast, reliable setup - I battled hard but never got close. It was still impossible to do the important little things like make or receive calls reliably, perhaps with one hand.
The Wizard is a proper phone - you can hold it between your ear and shoulder whilst stirring pasta with one hand and sipping vodka in the other.
The Wizard has proper buttons, ones that get used. The Universal had a multitude of useless buttons on the side that got pressed by accident thereby hanging Windows so that when you wanted to actually do something you may as well reset. The Universal had stereo speakers for God's sake. STEREO SPEAKERS? Does anyone else see the stupidity of such a thing? The whole point of stereo is that one channel feeds sound to one ear and the other channel to the other ear. What's more, the Wizard's handsfree speaker is clearer and brighter than the Universal's stereo speakers.
On the Wizard, I can make phone calls with one hand. I can pick up calls straight away, with one hand - I press the button and I'm talking immediately. With the Universal, not so. It's a long process involving three steps, invariably failing in most cases resulting in my having to call the other person back. Useless.
Sure, the Universal has a 520MHz processor. And when it's all optimised you really can feel the speed. But frankly that processor power is wasted on the most basic and major functions: the screen flip when answering a call. With the Wizard, sometimes screen flip lags, but thankfully I don't need to wait for the screen to flip just to answer the call!
That little Wizard collapsing stylus is a gem.
Here's what I use my Wizard for. I'm sure we are all used to this amount of functionality from one device - I've had most of it for years. But finally I have something close to the perfect all-in-one, and I'm happy!
Phone
Text messages
Voice command and phone in the car
Alarm clock (using the app Chronos) - how brilliant
Notebook
Calendar
Email on the move
Satellite navigation - tells me to slow down for speed cameras and talks to me when I get lost in London!
Portable music player (gigabyte mini SD card for MP3s)
Camera
Checking the news with RSS reader
Checking the next few days' weather in London from Today screen
I've even experimented with streaming video from my desktop over wireless. Works a treat, can watch a whole episode of The OC.
Yes, I can get rid of my old sat nav unit, my old pda, my old phone, my ipod, my alarm clock. It's everything in one tiny but beautifully usable package. (Actually, not entirely true, see below.)
There is ONE thing I am disappointed with. I had really hoped to eliminate the need for buying myself a new ipod. I am happy with a gigabyte of music - it seems fine to copy music as and when I need it. However I connected up my lovely Shure sound isolating headphones and the quality of the sound wasn't what I had hoped for. So sad about this - good sound would have completed the perfect package. There's just too much noise on the output, and the sound is horribly mid-range distorted. Gutted.
Anyway, I had to get this all out of my system - overall I am a very happy Universal to Wizard convert.
Thanks for listening
Mat

I can confirm all that. I ditched my Universal a week ago and bought a Wizard: Its LIGHTYEARS better in ease of use., speed, etc.
DO NOT BY UNIVERSAL. IT SUCKS BADLY !!!

completely agree. if i wanted a proper tiny computer i would buy a toshiba libretto. not the flawed, heavy and unstable universal.

Sounds right - the thing to remeber is that threse units are no laptops.... they are PDAs with phones ( not phones with PDAs if you see what I mean ).
Having swapped form a Jornada 540 I probably wont see the difrence your talking about but as a I can access most of the major features - Sat Nav / Phone / PIM I'm happy - its a portable viewer and ideal for when I am not in my own car.
Re the Ipod - doubt you'll beat that in this case - thats an Audio device - this is one that can do audio if you see what I mean.
Glad you like the change.
Terran

I'm finding this a very interesting topic.
I've just switched from aHP iPaq hx4705 to a Universal and so far I have been very pleased. however the choice between the Universal and the Wizard was a difficult one for me as I wanted a connected PocketPC / Windows Mobile device as opposed to a phone with a PPC in it.
My iPaq has clearly paid for itself in 15 months and time was right for an upgrade to WM5 and full connectivity. However my decision between these two devices was clouded I had a small chance to play with the Wizard in Dixon's one day when there was no Universal to play with.
And I liked it. Small, responsive, good lucks, surprising good keyboard (I wasn't sure what to expect to be honest) - all in all very good.
However I need to run a couple of power apps - PI and Planmaker - and I wasn't sure how it would cope.
I then had a try on a Universal in a O2 shop and I liked that. Everything looked good especially the screen (smaller than my iPaq but possibly even better quality) and the general speed.
So I got to the point to go for one of these. Initial cost wasn't a big deal as I was getting it on a contract with only about £50 difference between the two. And at this price £50 isn't enough to worry about.
I've currently got a Universal and am typing this out on it now. I'm loving it but that doesn't mean that the Wizard wouldn't also suit me as well. I have another 11 days before I lose the chance to take this back and swap it and I would really like to know from those of you using the Wizard how it copes with things like Planmaker due to the processor and the smaller screen size.
What a difficult choice though?! Two great devices to choose between.

I have an xda exec and xda mini s or wizard (two separate contracts). Both brill bits of kit. I use the exec for planmaker and textmaker and the xda mini just as a bit of fun. I like gadgets. You can't fault either device. I use both equally but for different purposes. I also used to have ipaq's for years but i wanted thephone functionality. The exec makes a wonderful mini laptop and the wizard a super ppc. If you shop around you can get bothdevices on contracts which added together give you a great deal in minutes+texts etc. yet give you the devices at a bargain price.
best wishes
Patricia

I agree. There really are some amazing devices out there at the moment and I am really pleased to be using one of them.
At the moment I can't see me getting rid of the Universal for a Wizard but that is because I have a clear idea of what I am after in this device. The Universal I know already after a few days is meeting my full needs.
Maybe if things go well I can buy a Wizard sometime late in 2006 when I guess they will drop in price! Just don't tell the wife!

dnt regret my purchase of a wizard. hope it stands the test of time and I'm using it for a long time. I think the trick to enjoying it is to remember in reality its your phone, everything else is a bonus.

i like to have 2 or 3 devices on the go and find if u shop around u can get really good deals recooping losses later by selling the devices on.the wizard is being offered for a small price on contract and like all similar devices will hold its value so why wait.i enjoy using the exec and wizardand find both equal as regards performance and functionality.planmaker, textmaker and tom tom work great on the exec whereas i use the wizard more for the phone side.
my other half uses tom tom but finds everything else a waste of time.i always have to explain that when we broke down in france this year in the motorhome my devices came to the rescue. tom tom for navigation and the predecessor to the xda mini a magician a great way to communicate to the rescue service and to find the nearest garage for repairs etc.
best wishes
patricia

Wizard v Universal
The wizard really is a great piece of kit but the BIG disadvantage for me is the missing 3G radio.
We have been crying out for this type of pocket pc ever since 3G was launched and I must say the breach has been filled admirably.
Obviously size is important and having owned both (and still do) I would agree that that the universal platform is not the most stable and the last thing you want to do is take a call on the Universal whilst in public
I have managed to incorporate all the settings taken from a symbian platform handset ie Nokia 6680 and managed to use the device successfully even browsing with the '3' homepage. The security of the '3' was the most difficult to crack and I can now download the various downloads offered by the cheapest network.
I also have subscribed to the £45 package which gives you 512mb of bundled data which allows me to visit other sites now the 'garden wall' has been demolished once and for all. This really is where the universal comes into its own.
One thing I will agree with is the size prevents use as a normal handset so I use a bluetooth headset with the appopriate hacks from the wi-ki developers page.
I cant help thinking that the Universal would be a far slimmer device if they hadn't incorporated the keyboard which I find absolutely useless due to my prolonged use of the graffiti facility(far quicker to write anyway).
I look forward to a new alternative to the Universal which may do away with the keypad once and for all. This should make the device a more suitable size instead of the similarities with the old handhelds ie HP 720 and the like which I'm sure many of us remember.
I think this is crucial given that devices like the Sony Ericsson P990i are just about to be launched with 3g capability and many people will see this as a more pocketable phone/pda. Not in the same league I agree as a windows mobile 5 device but still blessed with a good email client and now of course wi-fi.
Just my personal experience but I felt necessary to post in order to even things up a little bit.

Re: Wizard v Universal
jonboy8841 said:
The wizard really is a great piece of kit but the BIG disadvantage for me is the missing 3G radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 things... is it '3' that no longer have a walleed garden ? Im just curious...
Re 3G ( and I know this is Off topic ) - is it me or is there no actual use for 3G for joe public ? Yes I can understand business use and to a certian point show off to your mates video calling but until its on all networks and all phones ( inc fixed ) in all contries its best feature wont be used... again another reason to go for the Wizard rather than Universal.
Terran
PS Before any one says 'but you can watch TV' DVB-H will kick that in to touch soon

3G makes a BIG difference if you actually go websurfing... (which is actually the only reason I find it interesting, I really don't care about video calling, actually I really hope it wont become standard for a long time)
I don't have a universal, but I'm guessing the bigger screen (and more importantly resolution), along with the 3G, makes it perfectly suitable to websurfing.

Universal is a great gadget, but it is not a usable phone. The way I see it it can be used as a small notebook, provided you don't expect too much. VGA and UMTS are great for browsing and mail. Also connected with BT mouse it can be used for Word or Excel (TextMaker and PlanMaker) and even Project. The issue is only that lack of USB Host and no Video out mean it can't be used as full laptop. So it comes down to personal preference and at least for Phone and PDA I'm going with Wizard for small notebook we'll see...

Finraziel said:
3G makes a BIG difference if you actually go websurfing... (which is actually the only reason I find it interesting, I really don't care about video calling, actually I really hope it wont become standard for a long time)
I don't have a universal, but I'm guessing the bigger screen (and more importantly resolution), along with the 3G, makes it perfectly suitable to websurfing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wizzard supports EDGE, it is more than enough to do web-sirfing..

It's really interesting to see how different members use their devices-I didn't realise when i first purchased the exec that i needed a different sim card and tariff to use 3g. I think 3g is also more expensive and as other members have commented limited by network coverage and most people still having basic handsets. None of my contacts use 3g-in fact they find my interest in these amazing gadgets bemusing, eccentric...This doesn't bother me but thankgoodness there are othersout there who share my interest.

I really didn't think that the difference between 3g and a good gprs was much. i played with both in the o2 shop and couldn't think of a reason to buy the universal, although it does have a few advantages.
FYI I have a vodaphone 3g motorola 770 as my main phone (cost £90 payg) and I successfully linked the wizard to it via bluetooth and surfed at 3g speed. So I have the option if needed.

One other advantage to 3G is that in a few months you will be able to dial into video servers that will have news, television, etc going over the circuit switched network, so you'll have much more reliable and responsive service, if you're willing to use your video minutes on it.

With the new ROM, i'm glad i didn't give up my universal. It is now worlds faster WITHOUT any tweaking, and even more with tweaking.
I also had the Universal or WIzard dilema and only one factor mattered to me : SCREEN REAL ESTATE!
Guess who won

Me = Wizard ---> Universal
Agree Jorgee.
The universal with the latest O2 rom is working super. With the next rom update, with radio version 1.09 and push email it will be even better.
I had a wizard for a few months and had to get rid of it.
Firstly note that I do not use either as a phone. i have a small cell phone for voice calls. I use these devices as my pocket pc with data only tariffs (a key advantage of o2 above all the other providers).
In this context the Wizard is really not a player:
1. Terribly slow cpu and os
2. Screen too small
3. No VGA.
4. Too slow to run skype well
5. Too thick (universal is thinner) - difficult to fit in backpack with papers.
6. Horrible stylus
7. Minisd card. All my deivces use SD. Its another std too far.
8. Non-std headphone socket
9. No 3g. GPRS web browsing is a joke.
Sry guys, but as a PDA there is no contest!

Wizard to Universal, opinions please?

There are 2 reasons why I sold my wizard.
1. Stylus holder mechanism broke, with no actual solution given by HTC.
and mainly...
2. The sound quality was terrible. I used to get complaints during calls that they cannot hear me well, no matter how I fiddled with sound settings in the registry. I read that quite a few fellow users have this prob with the wizard.
I know some of you have both, or have experience from both.
Is Universal's sound quality better than the wizards, so I can proceed with a purchase?
Thanks

I have had both. The wizard is a better phone as its more compact and there have been less problems with the bluetooth. However the universal is a far better PDA. The sound quality on the wizard should have been ok. The sound quality on the exec is OK, but you look silly holding it to your face
rgds

colonel said:
I have had both. The wizard is a better phone as its more compact and there have been less problems with the bluetooth. However the universal is a far better PDA. The sound quality on the wizard should have been ok. The sound quality on the exec is OK, but you look silly holding it to your face
rgds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm.. yes, I never thought of that.
Nevertheless, sound quality(especially microphone) is of main importance to me, since I talk a lot....

radio rom plays a great role in sound quality, and the wizard an duniversal have good radio version, depending on your operator and your test. Some might prefer one version or one other.
You should decide on other criteria:
-speed, vga, full keboard
or
-small, one handed

thaihugo said:
radio rom plays a great role in sound quality, and the wizard an duniversal have good radio version, depending on your operator and your test. Some might prefer one version or one other.
You should decide on other criteria:
-speed, vga, full keboard
or
-small, one handed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's why I chose the wizard in the first place. But the damn phone's quality was a mess. I've seen Universal's quality and it's OK.
The sound is what I am worried about. Had the latest ROM.
BTW, I have this connection for over 4 years. No phone sounded that bad. Even now that I checked with my Nokia, the connection is OK and sounds loud and clear. Even with my old 6150.
rgrds

Reasons I didn't like the Wizard
(1) Small screen.
(2) A2DP didn't work.
(3) Slow speed.
(4) Mini SD more expensive than SD
(5) Audio socket 2.5mm - most earphones 3.5mm.
(6) Fiddly keyboard.
But at least it was compact?
The Universal doesn't have any of the above problems and has better battery life But it's bigger and heavier.
Basically if you really need the phone function go for the Wizard.
If you really want 3G, Internet & PDA and only use the phone occassionally go for the universal..
Cheers
John

odyseus said:
Reasons I didn't like the Wizard
(1) Small screen.
(2) A2DP didn't work.
(3) Slow speed.
(4) Mini SD more expensive than SD
(5) Audio socket 2.5mm - most earphones 3.5mm.
(6) Fiddly keyboard.
But at least it was compact?
The Universal doesn't have any of the above problems and has better battery life But it's bigger and heavier.
Basically if you really need the phone function go for the Wizard.
If you really want 3G, Internet & PDA and only use the phone occassionally go for the universal..
Cheers
John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the sound in the universal? Can they hear you talking? Compared with a normal mobile phone? I don't care about size....

gepol: maybe your's Wizard was with defekt.
have here 2 friends with wizard and one with universal, tested, sound in phone is comparable.

gepol said:
thaihugo said:
It's why I chose the wizard in the first place. But the damn phone's quality was a mess. I've seen Universal's quality and it's OK.
The sound is what I am worried about. Had the latest ROM.
BTW, I have this connection for over 4 years. No phone sounded that bad. Even now that I checked with my Nokia, the connection is OK and sounds loud and clear. Even with my old 6150.
rgrds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no WinMob phone on the market that sounds as clear as a standard feature phone from any of the top 4 manufacturers. The Treo 650 sounds pretty good but has an antique OS. Nokia Series 60 phones generally sound pretty good but have VERY limited PDA functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The wizard is for me more suitable than the universal. It's true, it is much more slower, but who cares. For my opinion, the wizard is the best PDA htc ever made. Small, compact and powerfull for its size.

As a hold it to your ear phone it's fine, a few members (myself included) are having problems with the bluetooth audio on it (static). I'm getting used to pulling it out of a pocket, flipping the lid and picking up the call in <2s. For me it's invaluable - the following are examples of why:
1) Moved house - waiting for a cable modem to turn up, use Bluetooth to connect to PC and can send/receive email and surf the net
2) Server in the UK toppled over - remote desktop meant i could reboot it from a ferry
3) 3G is *so* much faster than GPRS that I can't imagine having to live without it, I can browse websites and download programs
4) Full-size keyboard & decent stylus let me take notes in meetings or sermon notes @ church quickly and unobtrusively
5) 3G and Internet, plus the usual obvious features working together (Calendar, Outlook), + WiFi let me run my office from anywhere, including the park down the road.
It's big, it's not amazingly heavy (still heavy though ) and it has all the features I need - if you need them too, get one now

How good (or bad) is the Trinity

OK I see that some of you already got the device. My wife wants to replace her Nokia N80 for the white version. Now I previously had an Orange SPV M3100 (HTC Hermes) & had no end of problems with that sold it & now happily using an Asus P525. So how about the the Trinity.
-Is it stable?
-Does A2DP & AVCRP work properly as in having proper stereo output?
-Does the A2DP reconnect automatically to WMP after receiving a call (the -Hermes never did, had to restart everything).
-How's wifi reception (the Hermes was crap). She uses wifi a lot as we have 250mins free BTOpenzone minutes a month.
-I looked at the HTC website but it seems they do not supply firmware upgrade support for their devices. So where can you get them officially?
Fill me in guys. Thanks

Is it stable?
I don't feel it's very stable when coming to the phone part. If I've used the device for a while, I often have to hard-reboot it for the phone part to work again(it just stands "calling", and nothing happends)
-How's wifi reception (the Hermes was crap). She uses wifi a lot as we have 250mins free BTOpenzone minutes a month.
The WiFI reception on my phone is very good. I've actually managed to connect to hot-spots which my laptop didn't manage to connect... *me like*
-I looked at the HTC website but it seems they do not supply firmware upgrade support for their devices. So where can you get them officially?
In Norway you get the official firmware updates/rom from the local distributor.(Dangaard and Brightpoint)

What about other features, like those related to the cameras?
How is visiophony with the front camera?
How is the picture quality of the back camera? Most of the reviews are made with good light conditions. What about the pictures in low light condition?
Movies? Are they correct?
Battery life with that 400 MHz processor compared to Prophet?
Could anyone post pictures/movies made with Trinity?

The wifes P3600 arrived this morning. Been playing with it all for a while & here's my 1st impressions.
Good
Looks nice & shiny
Small size
Excellent loud clear external speaker
Nice & responsive
Phone reception & general operation is fine
3G works well
Bad
Shiny surface = fingerprint magnet
MS bluetooth stack, better than before but still lacking
A2DP implementation. Not real stereo, only mono out from each channel
Also when disconnectd from WMP it doesn't auto reconnect.
In summary if you used previous HTC devices before then you'll be familiar with this one. When used as a pda & phone it does most things as expected, the menus & general operation are same as before.
But its going back, one of the main reasons being the crap A2DP. Wifey uses music player a lot on her 1 hour daily commute & the fact that sound quality is rubbish (low volume & no stereo) & no option to connect a wired headphones as theres no headphone jack. The same problem as the Hermes in that once disconnected from WMP it doesn't auto reconnect. Have to go into Bluetooth manger to re establish the connection.
Also comparing it to my Asus P525 other than the smaller size, 3G, louder external speaker & looks a bit nicer, in all other depts the Asus is as good & some areas much much better.

Well, my opinion is that the camera sucks... Was on a party this weekend _with_ good lighting, all the picutures came out blurry *argh* (could be it was too much light tough?...)
The videotelephony-part on the other hands is quite good(for videotelephone, NOT for taking still-pictures).
And I also don't like the 2-7 sec. delay when you try to call someone... *argh*

neofix said:
Well, my opinion is that the camera sucks... Was on a party this weekend _with_ good lighting, all the picutures came out blurry *argh* (could be it was too much light tough?...)
The videotelephony-part on the other hands is quite good(for videotelephone, NOT for taking still-pictures).
And I also don't like the 2-7 sec. delay when you try to call someone... *argh*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 to 7 second delay? It sounds like a ROM upgrade will probably be coming to fix these issues...same story different cover.

zen123 said:
A2DP implementation. Not real stereo, only mono out from each channel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sounds new to me. I am using a SonyEricsson stereo BT thingy with my Qtek S200 (with A2DP hack) and as far as I can hear the output is stereo not mono from each channel.

I love mine compared to my Exec! Quicker and sleeker.
And got my 4GB miniSD this morning and it works fine

anonimo said:
This sounds new to me. I am using a SonyEricsson stereo BT thingy with my Qtek S200 (with A2DP hack) and as far as I can hear the output is stereo not mono from each channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, proper stereo could be possible with a registry hack but how many end users are to know that? Only the hardcore users frequent forums such as this & get to learn a lot about their devices. Assuming it can be done then why didn't HTC enable it in the first place? Mention a registry hack to the vast majority of users out there & I'm pretty sure you'll be met with a lot of blank expressions & ??????
With the aesthetic design of the trinity I think HTC are trying to market it to more mainstream audience, thats why my wife likes the look of it, but in all honesty how many of these new users will know how to exploit the device to the full. My wife never visits these forums & even her 8 month old Nokia N80 is still out of the box stock.

zen123 said:
Yes, proper stereo could be possible with a registry hack but how many end users are to know that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the registry hack was only to enable A2DP on those devices where the manufacturer had disabled it and the end result of a hacked S200 would be the same of a standard TyTn or a standard P3600... Are you sure the P3600 output is not stereo?

anonimo said:
I thought the registry hack was only to enable A2DP on those devices where the manufacturer had disabled it and the end result of a hacked S200 would be the same of a standard TyTn or a standard P3600... Are you sure the P3600 output is not stereo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure its not stereo, either that or the stereo separation is really poor because it sounded like mon to me. In saying that though when I paired my iTech R35 stereo bluetooth clip with it there was the option to tick headset mode & stereo mode but its too late now I've sent it back today.

The only dislike on my new P3600 is the position of penon the bottom! . I've used many pda, and the pen was on top! But for the rest I love it!!!!

zen123 said:
Pretty sure its not stereo, either that or the stereo separation is really poor because it sounded like mon to me. In saying that though when I paired my iTech R35 stereo bluetooth clip with it there was the option to tick headset mode & stereo mode but its too late now I've sent it back today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right the stereo bluetooth output is not stereo. This is ridiculous. I hope this can be fixed with some registry hacking otherwise HTC has really screwed this device big time.

One more thing, the smooth black coating is comming of from the bottom where the stylus is placed.... That's s REAL bad thing, since this will eventually tear up more and more of the coating... And I've only had it for two weeks

default A2DP registry settings for Trinity is:
UseJointStereo = 1
please change to:
UseJointStereo = 0
that will fix the "mono sound" issue.

Question
So far what i read, the software for this phone 3600 is not fully stable,
Camera still delay..
Some bugs
additional question following,
Delay of standard programs opening?
How about the sounds quality (loudness and clearness) is it very good?
which one is really better if compare 3600 and 3300(GPS enabled), which should i buy... -_-"
Thank you in advance..

fantastic device
Got my Trinity since yesterday. I had several phones and pda before (Dell Axim x51v was the last one) but the Trinity is the best until now. small enough, fast enough... if I only could get MMS to work for vodafone germany...

saminegm said:
Got my Trinity since yesterday. I had several phones and pda before (Dell Axim x51v was the last one) but the Trinity is the best until now. small enough, fast enough... if I only could get MMS to work for vodafone germany...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try these (manual entry and cab for Vodafone):
https://shop.dangaard.de/files/Qtek/Qtek.htm
Tytn and Trinity 3G/UMTS should be the same

So far...the trinity is my new favorite thing..very stable (have had to soft reset twice to get the Wifi signal running after a sync while wifi was on) and lots of fun. Phone is great and signal with one bar or less is still usable - where my old motorola was no good with a weak signal...and i can now make and take calls from my office - where previously there was no chance with the motorola. This device does everything I bought it for -combine my PDA and phone into one device...

where to buy
DaveUK said:
I love mine compared to my Exec! Quicker and sleeker.
And got my 4GB miniSD this morning and it works fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please said where did you buy the miniSD? Thanks

Got mine :-)

I've got the TyTN and the P4350 now; I'll do some comparison and report back here.
Martin

Can you test the wi-fi reception of this device and compare it with Tytn's range(weak)? Thank you.

Very short : (longer review to come)
Although the P4350 has got a slower CPU (200 Mhz - 400 Mhz on the TyTN), it's working much smoother/faster than the TyTN. The rather annoying delay (although minor) on the TyTN when using the numpad in the phone is almost not detectable on the P4350.
Seems much faster graphics.
The Autoslide keyboard is wonderful! VERY VERY nice. The keyboard simply jumps open.
More to come; when I have the time I'm going to go more in depth with my testing, trying to stress the machine a bit.
So far I'm VERY satisfied! In my eyes it's a better device than the TyTN; it now fits nicely in my pockets (17 mm thick (TyTN 22 mm)). I ended up disabling 3G on my TyTN anyway due to the battery draining - so that the P4350 doesn't have 3G possibilities fits me just fine.
I'll be back ;-)
Martin

mine will be here tommorrow

chakra said:
mine will be here tommorrow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're waiting also for your review.

Hi all,
Had anyone tried skype on the Herald ?
How is it as compared to Hermes ?
Thanks

Have you tested divx with TCPMP?

btw skype is about to release version which run on 200mhz

Hi Pakiyabhai,
That is good news, have you got more details on the new skype -- such as the time frame ?

The new Skype 2.2 beta is the version you're looking for. According to their FAQ it supports the 195MHz OMAP:
http://support.skype.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=982
v2.2 BETA download
http://www.skype.com/download/skype/mobile/downloading_low_beta.html
I've been using it with my P4350 and it works great without overclocking. Just use the headset and close other programs before starting. [hint: HTC includes the Task Manager utility in the P4350 that closes apps properly when exiting; it's disabled by default]

Ok its exactly like my beloved old jam. only with a keyboard. the speed is the same, almost better than my tytn and treo 750v. the keyboard is loose compared to my tytn , kjam, and ppc 6700. the internet loads almost as fast as my tytn, i dont have 3g in my area yet. the screen is the best i have had yet except for my old universal (to big) i cant wait for the omni... there are not enough buttons even with ae button plus imnot quite satisfied. the keyboard is the best yet. and the wow factor is the best yet. ill talk more later

daguru said:
The new Skype 2.2 beta is the version you're looking for. According to their FAQ it supports the 195MHz OMAP:
http://support.skype.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=982
v2.2 BETA download
http://www.skype.com/download/skype/mobile/downloading_low_beta.html
I've been using it with my P4350 and it works great without overclocking. Just use the headset and close other programs before starting. [hint: HTC includes the Task Manager utility in the P4350 that closes apps properly when exiting; it's disabled by default]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Daguru,
Thanks for your reply & info.
How about the Wifi reception as compared to HTC Hermis ?
I was wondering if skype 2.2 requirement of 195MHz is the MIN
operation requirement will not be ideal in practical environment ?
Also I require more feedback on the new skype 2.2 beta with
HTC Herald on the voice quality, connection quality.
As this is very important consideration for me getting this
wonderful device and not HTC Hermes.
The general comment so far is that the Herald is as fast if not faster
than the Hermes even though the CPU Hz speed for Herald is half.
I wonder why ?
I had this impression that, some of the older approx 200MHz PDA phone
devices review have mentioned that during basic operation
e.g. sms, making call etc is too slow. Does Herald have such problem
i.e. keypress respond is too slow ?
Thanks for reading

Well I have had my herald for a few weeks now. It was going to be my primary device. but also two weeks ago i got hsdpa in my area. so I was playing with my three hsdpa enabled pda phones. but here I am a week or two later back using the herald again. I have the cpu set to 252 with omapclockplus . It is just so small and cool. It is slower than my tytn when going through the menu's. But it turns on quicker, answers the phone quicker. has better sound quality ( the phone) Voice command 1.6 works flawlesly over the headset with no tweaks right out of the box. it tells you who is calling through the blootooth headset. and is much more responsive..
that said the ram leaves much to be desired. I admit I have a tun of programs that i consider must haves. But on a fresh soft boot I have 19 mb free. about two mins later its at 15 and it seems to be hovering around 12 or 13. Ok so i have never had a low mem problem, but I like to have it there.

Hello,
I finnaly got mine too ;-) It's working fine with Orange FR, just need to find some GPRS parameters.
Also I just found this news:
http://www.vodafoneshop.de/shop/det...66&artikel_daten_id=3555&B_ID=243&I_ID=0&TD=1
Vodaphone released the Herald/P4350 as VPA Compact IV (with MS Direct Push & Blackberry support).
Nico

Tomorrow I'll get mine

Hermes or Nokia N95

I'm currently using a T-Mobile MDA Vario (HTC Wizard), and as my contract is up for renewal soon, I am wondering what phone to get next.
Originally I had my mind set on the Vario 2 (Hermes), but I'm getting second thoughts since I read about the new Nokia N95. It seems to pack a lot of features, most impressively integrated gps and a lot of maps. First impressions seem to indicate that it runs very smoothly (not always the case with windows mobile) and gps works well. It's also got wifi and fast internet browsing. On the other hand, not sure if symbian is any good (to sync with pc etc), and if I'll be able to install applications on it like a pocket pc (although I don't install much). More importantly, I'd have to live without a full keyboard and touch screen (but the device is therefore thinner).
Can anyone give me some advice on how good/bad your experience with the Hermes has been (or even with the N95 if you've used it or heard anything about it).
Thanks.

kkhalil76 said:
I'm currently using a T-Mobile MDA Vario (HTC Wizard), and as my contract is up for renewal soon, I am wondering what phone to get next.
Originally I had my mind set on the Vario 2 (Hermes), but I'm getting second thoughts since I read about the new Nokia N95. It seems to pack a lot of features, most impressively integrated gps and a lot of maps. First impressions seem to indicate that it runs very smoothly (not always the case with windows mobile) and gps works well. It's also got wifi and fast internet browsing. On the other hand, not sure if symbian is any good (to sync with pc etc), and if I'll be able to install applications on it like a pocket pc (although I don't install much). More importantly, I'd have to live without a full keyboard and touch screen (but the device is therefore thinner).
Can anyone give me some advice on how good/bad your experience with the Hermes has been (or even with the N95 if you've used it or heard anything about it).
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all comes down to the touchscreen... if you can live without it then go for the N95, if not then the Hermes is the way to go... but you must also know that the N95 isnt Tri-band UMTS, so if you were to goto another country with uses a different band for UMTS then you wont have access for it... Where as the Hermes supports 850, 1900 & 2100mhz WCDMA Bands

Thanks. I also read that the N95's build quality isn't so great, and that talk time is only a little over 2 hours (vs. a little over 4 for the hermes)!

kkhalil76 said:
Thanks. I also read that the N95's build quality isn't so great, and that talk time is only a little over 2 hours (vs. a little over 4 for the hermes)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well there you go... you just answered your own question... mind you the build quality on the hermes isnt that much better.... they are all plastic...

Build quality is not related to just the materials of the housing but also how well everything fits together. Look at the SE P990i: very nice looking phone but squeaks and cracks when you're holding it.

Dunno about the N95, but my previous phone was a Nokia 6260 (S60 2.x).
I personally found the Symbian system more stable and more feature-advanced than the Windows Mobile OS. Some examples: choosing the account via which emails are sent is not possible in Outlook Mobile, synchronizing with Nokia PC Suite is robuster (and supports for instance SMS typing on PC), native support for Java midlets (Opera Mini!), ...
I personally went for the Hermes because of the keyboard: a GPS is easily added with bluetooth, but a keyboard that works handheld is not easily added; and also because I needed Windows Mobile for one application I wanted (PocketFMS).
But it is difficult finding a balance between what you need, want and like.
Jörg

Well I think my mind's made up, can't go back to a tiny keypad after having used a full keyboard for so long, so I guess it's the hermes after all. Also the battery life is a big issue for me, I thought the hermes wasn't great, but the Nokia is awful...

As far as the battery is concerned: I manage to have the Hermes running for about 4-5 days (not frequently making calls, but frequently connecting via gprs/umts) or 2-3 days (when playing back .wma through BT headset).
Jörg

walshieau said:
It all comes down to the touchscreen... if you can live without it then go for the N95, if not then the Hermes is the way to go... but you must also know that the N95 isnt Tri-band UMTS, so if you were to goto another country with uses a different band for UMTS then you wont have access for it... Where as the Hermes supports 850, 1900 & 2100mhz WCDMA Bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How often does one go to other country and really use a different UMTS band or UMTS at all?
And what goes for the build quality, I can honestly say that N95 is better after owning a hermes for about 6 months now.
But the hermes beats it with the touch screen and keyboard, and has better software support in its own special way, N95 has better phoning software because the main idea is to use it as a phone and the OS is tailored that way. Hermes in other hand is a phone pda hybrid.
And personally as a software developer i can honestly say that symbian os is more crap that you guys could imagine ;D
And embedded linux seems to keep pushing it's way quite hard. Many companies I know, started to look into that matter.. (won't list any names here).
[EDIT]
The battery seems to be quite good for Hermes considering the fact that it's a PDA like phone at has alot of features.
And the more I use Hermes, the more conviced I get with it, it just is a damn good device
And you guys should try Route66 Navigate 7 for Pocket PC. It's the damn best GPS software I ever used
Doesn't lag at all (this is what really impressed me), is VERY accurate even in this little town I live in, very good POI information (TMC to) etc.
I tested alot of GPS software and this is just the best atm.
I have a bluetooth GPS, it's very small and has a neck collar
[/EDIT]

My Jasjam with Direct Push on all day (50 e-mails sent and received) and checking the news for 20 minutes, a game of chess for 15 minutes, using it as a sat nav for 30 minutes and 1 hour on the phone it still has 60% battery left at the end of the day. I would recommend the Hermes over the N95 any day.

What about the simple fact that one has a keyboard and the other one does not? Are you expecting to do any typing?

agovinoveritas said:
What about the simple fact that one has a keyboard and the other one does not? Are you expecting to do any typing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not that simple... look at the 3G bands for example... for me anyway im in australia where there is 850Mhz and 2100Mhz 3G Bands... where the N95 only supports 2100Mhz....

N95 for sure. The touch-screen of the hermes sucks anyways, and yes, this is coming for a Hermes owner.

xpimperx said:
N95 for sure. The touch-screen of the hermes sucks anyways, and yes, this is coming for a Hermes owner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather have a sucky touchscreen than no touchscreen. FWIW, I think the screen on the Hermes is just fine.
Having to enter all my emails with the dpad or number pad is just nothing something I'd ever consider anno 2007.

I was a previous Nokia man through and through until the N80. The battery life and bugs made it unusuable, so I sold it and bought a Hermes. I've never looked back!
With the improved Radio 1.40 I now get around 3-4 days standby. You'll be lucky to get 3-4 HOURS from an N80 or N95 (reviews seem to suggest they still haven't learnt their lesson from poor battery life with the N95 either)
I won't touch Nokia again until they sort out the appalling battery life of their new phones. What's the point of putting all these neat features in a phone if you have to leave it almost permanently plugged into the mains?

N95 vs Hermes
Well, I've got both the Hermes and the N95... I'm probably going to end up selling one or the other... but I have the same choice to make - which one to keep, and I have to say, it's a hard choice.
The main factors for me are:
Battery life - everyone is talking about this, but the Nokia N95 battery life is abysmal. You really need to take your charger with you anywhere you go with it. Hermes battery life is not great, but at least you can use it for half to one day without it running out of battery! Also, the Hermes charges off USB, so when you use it as a computer modem, it charges at the same time!
Software & touchscreen - undoubtedly way better on the Hermes - push email, messenger, internet explorer, Cleartype, it all just works - N95 is flaky in places and the interface / software is just not up to the hardware. You have to pay extra for word, excel, push email, messenger, etc (well if you want any half-reasonable solution) and they don't work as well as WM5/6 even when you do pay! Also, the community support and the **ahem** hacked software is WAY WAY better for Windows Mobile.
Hardware - Nokia is way better for this - N95 has a beautiful camera, built in GPS, is smaller, lighter and prettier than the Hermes and has a 3.5mm jack socket built in (no adapter). But - no keyboard, no touchscreen and NO ROLL-WHEEL! This gets really annoying on the N95 for reading/replying to emails when you've used the Hermes.
So: The question really is - what will you use the device for? Phone? N95. Emails? Then definitely Hermes. Camera? N95. MSN Messenger? Hermes. Portable GPS? N95 (Hermes is better for car GPS when paired with a decent SiRF Star III GPS unit.) All of the above? AARRGH! Too difficult to decide. Neither is perfect - A smaller, thinner Hermes, with a 5MP camera, built in GPS, 640x480 resolution, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a nice-looking flat touchscreen that is flush with the casing WOULD be perfect... but we're going to have to wait for a while before that happens...