Hi all,
For some reason the search function is not working for me (xp/firefox 1.5) as it always returns null searches.
Anyway, apologies if this has been discussed already in detail...
I'm almost ready to go ahead and buy the Advantage having researched numerous reviews online.
Everyone is in agreement its a marvellous device, let down by one main aspect... the keyboard.
Many report that the keys have very limited tactile feedback and one reviewer commented that the keyboard felt very rubbery like the old spectrum keyboard, making it sluggish for typing on.
I would see this as being a pretty major drawback, effectively slowing productively on a regular basis.
I currently use a Nokia E61 for work, and, while it has a small thumboard, tactility is excellent and with some practice, its responsive and fast.
While the larger keyboard is welcome on the Advantage I would really like to hear users opinions and thoughts, good bad or indifferent, about the keyboard in daily use.
Thanks!
i think the keyboard is much better than reviewed all the time. it has no definite pressure point but still you only have to touch it a little bit so you don't really need the pressure point anyway. i haven't typed anything wrong yet. quite impressive.
but still i think that the athena itself has a far too deep (and bad) when the keyboard is attached, if you wanna type in bed f.e. it's hard to see the screen right and good.
so keyboard is really good, but angle between keyboard and display isn't good for use with both hands, in bed etc. (just on a high table).
sry, don't really know how to say it in english.
I'm still prefer the keyboard of Universal's.....and it turns out I carried the U1000 without the Keyboard 90% of time.
BR
Tommy
I too prefer the Universal keyboard compared to Advantage keyboard. Not only for the typing (little "click" with Universal, nothing with Advantage), but for the number of keys as well. In fact in Universal keyboard the number 1 to 0 are typed directly, instead in Advantage you need the function key before.
On Universal there are more symbols that availlable directly from the keyboard (with or without the function key).
But, considering all, I can give to my Advantage keyboard a rate of 6.5 (in a range from 1 to 10) and to Universal keyboard a rate of 8.
Can we all look into the possibility of using a bluetooth keyboard..I think it will b a very useful companion with Athena
Cheers guys. I'll probably end up using my Think Outside BT keyboard which has served me well over the past couple of years. It seems a waste to use it though when you have a magnetic keyboard which also doubles as a screen protector.. and its another thing to carry and have spare batteries for.. I hope they introduce a more tactile feedback into future revisions..
I don't think I'd mind the fact that the number keys are not on the top row. Its an inconvenience but means more room for qwerty (and I'm used to it from the E61 layout).
Speaking of room..
Advantage looks just a little too cramped for 2 handed typing effectively so are you guys holding it like a thumbboard or huntin'/peckin' with two fingers while it lays flat on a desk..?
it's very, very tough to hold it like thumbboard (as I said before) , so most of the time I use it while it lays flat on a desk (which should be high enough to see the whole screen while typing because of the bad angle).
I really dislike the keyboard, since it has absolutely no tactile feedback. It's very odd to type, and I make many errors. It was even nicer, and faster using the keyboard that came with my Cingular 8525, and I dislike Thumbboards. It does make a good stand when watching media, though!
I don't mind the keyboard for occasional use - you certainly wouldn't want to type an essay on it, but a quick e-mail, txt or even a forum post doesn't stress too much. Its easier than the soft keyboard on the screen anyway.
The bits that I don't like, are:- the telephone dial button is in the wrong place (top left) - I'll quite often start dialing someone, just because ive caught the button by accident as I'm holding the device up.
And sometimes it can get the caps lock stuck on, and I cant work out a consistent way of turning it off (usually a press of the dot, then the caps key does it, but not always).
Other than that, not too bad.
They keyboard sucks. The key spacing is all wrong. I continualy hit the wrong letter. For a good touch typist this is torture.
The lack of numbers it pathetic too. The universal fitted a considerably better keyboard into it.
The good thing? There is nothing to stop people making replacement keyboards!
I want a keyboard that works better as a screen protector, because if I dont use that stupid leather wallet, everytime I put it in my pocket, the keyboard slips off and scratches the screen itself.
Now, I look like something out of the 1980's with a huge leather filo-fax thing.
A good keyboard would be complete case, with flip up screen protector (or slide up) and a kb that flips around from the back (the contacts are wired such that its always connected when not totally flat on the back) meaning you can have it at any angle.
Hinge the KB at the bottom corners and screen protector at the top corner. It could be a complete life saver.
ok the keyboard in Athena is completely useless. Universal one is much better. I made so much typing error because I had to press hard on the keyboard. It is not responsive enough. Whenever I wanted to type fast, I kept on missing a character such as the A character. Even my Fitaly soft keyboard is 3x better.
It is annoying having to carry keyboard all the time because you need that to keep U1000 in the leather casing closed nicely together. but that is about it.
I too agree that the keyboard is next to useless. I've been using it purely as a way to hold up the unit at home, so that it looks like a PC instead of the screen lying flat. I still much prefer to use the enlarged on-screen keyboard. For more specialised typing such as word documetn, I have my Full Screen Kyboard activated hardware button that was once used for starting the browser. In that way, I can alway call up the Full Screen Keyboard anytime I need.
I don't actually carry my keyboard around. I've designed and made a belt pouch myself (yes, using my old notebook carrying case's materials) which can either take both the unit and keyboard or just the keyboard. In either case, I don't put the leather case into my pouch. It works very well for me.
At home, I would like to look for either a BT or USB keyboard.
Hmmm....
But for me athena keyboard still useful even not as good as universal one. But i still can feel it...
Actually I kinda like it.
Its better than I expected it to be. Rarely misses a key when I'm typing. I'm coming at this from keyboardless pdas though so can't compare with other smartphones (except Nokia 9300 which was ok but I actually think this is better.)
Its certainly handy having it there and it makes the pda sturdy when you want it sat up just to see the screen while playing music, watching movies etc.
I think all the above comments on the keyboard, the some good, and the some bad, are valid.
That being said, I do not think it's a deal breaker to not get the Athena. In addition, it can't be a deal breaker, as there are no alternatives. Yes, if all other things were remaining equal, and there was another device identical, except for a better keyboard, I'd obviously opt for it, even at a higher cost.
But, I LOVE the Athena. It is the portable computing device (plus GPS) that I've been hoping for. And I use in in CONJUNCTION with another phone (a Blackberry Pearl, for now). Comparing it to TyTN or the like, are too different. It runs faster than handheld pocket PCs, seems more stable, and quite frankly, when you mix too much usage at one time, like a phone, GPS, and PocketPC, is too much for any device. This is a PC with 3g data first, then maybe a GPS, and THEN a phone.
I have no complaints. I use it a good 3-4 hours a day instead of my laptop. It's good for emails and simple word/excel editing. Makes me able to sneak about without anyone noticing.
It could have had a little more tactile feedback, but the lack of it makes it dead quiet instead, which in my opinion is a wonderful thing.
I'm sure someone will make use of the extra space between keys... ie moving the main keys closer together and adding a numeric keypad somewhere in there. I wouldn't mind.
Perhaps make them round, and with a groove in the middle of each key so when the keys are tightly put together you still have high accuracy speed typing.
I'm used to the Wizard and Hermes, and they both have keyboards that give a little more response than Athenas keyboard. However, I see that this also is a good idea if you want to use the keyboard when you are en a meeting or in a lecture, or whereever you are where you have to be quiet.
anyone has tried Thinkoutside bluetooth keyboard with U1000 yet?
No, but I have tried the Freedom Keyboard (www.freedomkeyboard.com), and it works perfectly.
It's a little smaller than a normal qwerty-keyboard so it takes a little to get used to it, but I think it is rather good.
The Stowaway Travel Mouse also works perfectly.
If we are gonna go for Bluetooth keyboards, try the Apple PRO full qwerty kb. Its nice. I used it on my Nokia770, and my XDAII easily.
Not tried on the Athena, but no reason it shouldnt work. Great for using when you are at home/office for typing. Just dont expect to carry it around.
One of the main reasons a friend of mine & I puchased the HTC PPC6800 from Alltel was that we intended on loading up Roms & Emulators from the original NES. However, while you can put an emulator onto the phone & run it, the QWERTY keyboard only allows you to push one keystroke at a time!! Anyone familiar with gaming, reguardless of the platform, can understand just how unplayable almost every game is without the ability to run & jump! You can run.. You can jump. You just can't do both simultaniously.
If there are any known fixes for this, please help.. I'm desperate. I'm guessing it's a software issue as there are already keys on the keyboard that support multi-button pushing such as the shift and function keys. I imagine there must be a work-around of some kind out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
Turn the 6800 on it's side(closed) like a psp and use the d-pad for direction and the e-mail and internet buttons for A and B. From what I understand those buttons don't suffer from the one keystroke limitation.
The only issue with that is the emulator, and subsequently every emulator I've tried after for NES doesn't support the sideways resolution for whatever reason. The loading screen for booting a rom with turn just like any other window would but the second the actual game loads it flips back up vertical. SNES emulators seem to handle the horizontal resolution just fine but the controller on the SNES had 6 buttons so mapping just 2 really doesn't cut it.
I currently try to play on the tiny little controls at the bottom and none of them seem to be effected by the two buttons at a time issue but the Ok button can't be mapped so playing around it is unbearable to the point of just not wanting to play. Not to mention it kills the WOW factor of showing someone when you have to play the game with a controller that's the size of a quarter.
Good call. I forgot to mention the landscape resolution thing. I ran into this thread shortly after reading yours. If you haven't seen it check this one out. I believe one or more of those emulators address the landscape abilities (MorphGear and SmartGear). Hope that helps.
The program is really slick for emulation, I'll give you that. lol. It's pay for use so I'm just messing with it in the 5 min demo mode but so far it looks like it'd definitely be worth buying.. I'm still however running into the multi-key issue on the QWERTY. NES is fine without using the QWERTY as it only requires an A & B button but the SNES had 6 buttons that need to be mapped and getting them all in an accessable spot on the face of the unit just isn't happening.
Has anyone heard anything about a possible fix for this?
Is it correct that the 3G doesn't have any hardware buttons, except for the D-pad and the phone buttons ?
My HTC Prophet has 5 buttons to which I have mapped (AEButton+) a lot of handy features. I think I would really miss them...
Please share your experiences...
Also I was wondering: does it have the same magnetic stylus as the Diamond ?
I've migrated from a Trinity which has lots of hardware buttons and yep I'm missing them. I don't like manilla/touchflow that much either; but I'm getting used to it.
Overall for me the better specs and the form factor of the 3G/Jade make it worth the learning curve. I've only had it for a couple of days and already the lack of extra buttons is starting to bug me less and less.
Hope thats some help
I´ve had my magician for ages now, and it was time to move on.
Bought the jade, and at first, i missed the buttons. No camera button, no contacts or calendar.
2 days using it, and now i don't miss them that much. Had to configure the answer button to access the contacts, by holding it a bit longer.
Still getting used to the touch flow software, but at first, it looks like a great little phone.
I have a Hermes before. At beginning I missed the buttons. But now I don't miss the buttons. The Jade is so small, light and beautifull.
Only the Softkay is missing, where is under the backcover.
As you FPSECE fans know, the LG expo Alpha keys are currently not mappable for input.
Anyone working on some sort of fix that will let FPSECE use the hardware keyboard, or am i stuck using my old Kaiser as a blue tooth remote control?
my thoughts exactly. anybody know how to map alpha keys?
I have the same problem, and also when I play gran turismo and hold the key for riding and while I press the arrow, the key for riding is disconnected
sorry for my english
Sorry guys, there is no keyboard fix. The keyboard will not support multiple key presses, only a few keys are mappable, and the screen is not multi-touch... so no on screen controls either. Go snag Cobalt Controller and use a ps3 sixaxis controller. You'll have to re-assign the controller's blutooth mac and then it works flawlessly with FPSECE.
Just an idea
I have an AT&T fuze, and we had a similar problem on our phone due to it not been able to register the keys individualy, but as a hole, what could be the case with your phones. Some developers made some programs to fix this issue, but what really did it for me was the duttythroy Disable xt9 cab, very simple an easy, and you can find it here with search.
If you could try this please let me know your results on this thread, since I was thinking of purchasing this phone.
Thanks for your reply
I use a PS3 sixaxis controller also. I have 2 Dualshock PS3 controllers and 2 regular sixaxis controllers so I just dedicated one of those to the phone. Seriously the most amazing way to play. 58-60FPS Gran Turismo 2 with a controller is phenomenal.
I have read about several people using a PS3 controller to play PS1 games on the expo as well as some people also using the pico projector as well to run the games. So just in case people didn't know the pico projector does work very well in combination with the PS3 controller.
However, that's not for me. I don't want to purchase or lug around either one of those to play games. Part of the reason I initially got the expo over something like the tilt 2 was because of the faster processor, but it's almost pointless if the keys don't work. In all honesty though I really like the phone and wouldn't trade it for another phone after using it, PS1 games or not. But still, if anyone figures out a way or writes a program to get the keys to work please keep us posted.
Using the multi-key function you can overcome a few things. Playing a racing game, use multi-keys to combine the gas button with both the right and left button. This will allow you to turn while still applying gas. Also the multi-keys work to map a single button, this seems to have a better response compared to the normal d-pad buttons.
PDAnewbie said:
Using the multi-key function you can overcome a few things. Playing a racing game, use multi-keys to combine the gas button with both the right and left button. This will allow you to turn while still applying gas. Also the multi-keys work to map a single button, this seems to have a better response compared to the normal d-pad buttons.
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Thanks for the help. I'll see if this makes it any easier. It would be nice though if eventually someone made a fix for this.
carlosdayas said:
I have an AT&T fuze, and we had a similar problem on our phone due to it not been able to register the keys individualy, but as a hole, what could be the case with your phones. Some developers made some programs to fix this issue, but what really did it for me was the duttythroy Disable xt9 cab, very simple an easy, and you can find it here with search.
If you could try this please let me know your results on this thread, since I was thinking of purchasing this phone.
Thanks for your reply
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same Fuze phone and I had the same issue with the keyboard, also the fix was to disable xt9, now Im going to buy this eXpo phone, I hope the xt9 fix works too.
Hello all, just joined because I couldn't find info on this on the web, at least no info that included answers.
I have most of my GBA collection backed up and often load the roms onto my Android phone to emulate. I have never encountered this issue until now, with my first OnePlus phone. This leads me to believe that it is an issue with the phone/phone settings rather than the emulators themselves.
I use the touch screen controls when playing GBA. The buttons are not registering my presses unless I hold down the button for a second or two. All input requires me to touch and hold the button. I digged through my phone settings but nothing stood out that could be causing this.
Everything else with the phone has been great, but this is definitely a deal breaker that will force me to switch back to Google devices.
mysticstryk said:
Hello all, just joined because I couldn't find info on this on the web, at least no info that included answers.
I have most of my GBA collection backed up and often load the roms onto my Android phone to emulate. I have never encountered this issue until now, with my first OnePlus phone. This leads me to believe that it is an issue with the phone/phone settings rather than the emulators themselves.
I use the touch screen controls when playing GBA. The buttons are not registering my presses unless I hold down the button for a second or two. All input requires me to touch and hold the button. I digged through my phone settings but nothing stood out that could be causing this.
Everything else with the phone has been great, but this is definitely a deal breaker that will force me to switch back to Google devices.
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Click to collapse
Hey there,
Using MyBoy emulator, and a super Mario Bros room, I had 0 input lag. Has to be something on your side. Positive here is that it's not One plus phones
HaiKaiDo said:
Hey there,
Using MyBoy emulator, and a super Mario Bros room, I had 0 input lag. Has to be something on your side. Positive here is that it's not One plus phones
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Click to collapse
That's good news, I really like this phone otherwise. I guess it could still be something in the phone settings though. I have my emulators set up exactly how I had them before.
I'm also using MyBoy GBA.
Figured it out! The triple tap to zoom feature in the phone settings was causing it. Turned it off and it works normal now.