Related
how do you guy's live with the chunky size of the unit and is the build quality as bad as some reports ?
thank you
i am on my 4th mda
1st: crashed a lot and keyboard not quite set right into the frame - wireless manager button sticks up slightly
2nd: metal top plate offset and scratching my ear
3rd: loud creaky hinge with loud clicks
4th: camera fault - big white dot on photo's
on my 1st exec i have a misaligned keyboard as with mda 1, and minor camera pixel dropouts
i think build quality is pretty awful, and will keep* my exec and get the mda swapped out for a vario or something.
* might take it back and see if I can get a fully functional device from them, after all I paid 99 pounds for it :lol:
I had one MDA Pro and now I have an XDA Exe and both were/are excellent, great quality devices.
About the size - I had all the previous XDAs so I got used to the big phones already. I'm not using any bluetooth headsets, and I always carry it in my jeans back pocket , no problems at all for me.
I am on my first and only Jas Jar - the thing is brilliant- no problems at all. As for size, I always use mine with a BT headset and voice command when making or recieving a call, so no problem there either.
I am on my 3rd Jasjar. First was taken away by my boss. 2nd had an Arabic/English keyboard and did not like it. Now on 3rd unit for over 2 months. All had excellent build quality. No complaints from me whatsoever.
Kind Regards
Mine seems fine so far. Havent noticed any problems and im usually one for spotting things. Was worried about dead pixels but both my wizard and uni are clear as a bell.
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
I think you should look once again :wink:
There is a calculator in PROGRAMS
and the MSN Messenger is in POCKET MSN, first position from the top
lloydalikes said:
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
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No offense but why would you drive for an hour with an MDA Pro in your pocket. Surely glove box, dashboard, passenger seat or a passenger holding it for you would have been preferable.
To be fair you cant blame the design for that. If youve had it in your pocket and obviously bent it in some way, then the screen being damaged isnt beyond reason.
Its no good buying one of these devices and then expecting it to fit in a shirt pocket like it isnt there. Its a big phone, end of !
As ive said before, the design seems ok to me and its everything I have expected it to be so far. Maybe in months to come I might find one or two shortcomings but not so far.
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
rottie said:
Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
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Totally agree with that comment! Just swapped from an MDA Pro to an XDA Exec and it actually seems smaller. I guess what they say about black being more slimming is true
rottie said:
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
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Couldn't agree more, I think the Wizard looks FAR bulkier, yet because it's a bit smaller and traditionally-XDA style, people say THAT's the smaller of that and the Exec.
The Wizard is a good phone, admittedly. However, a lot of excess plastic if you ask me.
And black is the ONLY colour for the Universal! hehe
Ant
I have the Universal and the wife has the Wizard, I am costantly amazed at what both devices are capable of. When using my Universal in the car it sits on the dash with the four rubber feet, screen open and on display, works and looks fantastic. I love the larger screen on the Universal and also like the 3g support. As for size I prefer the Wizard, It just feels more comfy to hold and use like a phone, I still feel weird holding the Universal to my ear, I don't use a BT headset yet, keep trying to find a surgery that can give me a bluetooth implant behind my ear :shock: I actually find myself using the keyboard on my Universal less and less now, and opting to leave it screen out and use the onscreen keyboard. The twist is nice but I am sure its is already getting slack. I guess my ideal device would be a hybrid of the two, wishfull thinking and totally over the top but, same size as the wizard, same screen as the universal and with 3g but the screen, imagine opening a wizard with the base being thicker than the screen and as you slide it open the screen tilts up and can rotate so its perpendicular to the keyboard so it looks like the universal, keep going and it ends up facing the keyboard and would close back down screen facing in, no need to twist the screen about a single swivel anymore.
I may even knock up a short avi so you can see it in action.
Regards
I am on the whole , pretty happy with my Exec
The only thing that bothers me is that it seems (only very slightly) slower than my old Magician !
I have had to learn how to answer calls on it (i.e if it rings while it is closed then LEAVE IT CLOSED TO ANSWER IT ! ) Which leads me to my only real gripe - No way of seeing who is calling with the clamshell closed
As for the size thing - anyone who buys one of these knows exactly what they are buying into - I personally have no problem with big phones wouldn't want the Exec any smaller
I've probably said it too many times... I love my phone! in spite and despite of...
When you love something that much, you get to love every bit of it.. bulky size and all. I still look sheepish when answering a call with a brick in my ear but I glow when all my officemates jot their notes on a paper while I just type it on my dopod900.
I still go berserk when the ringtone suddenly changes to another despite my change in the registry but I think I can live with going to settings and all..
So there, Im gonna borrow McDonald's slogan and say "Im Lovin' It!"
I do not see any problem with the size and build of the Uni.
I have the first XDA for 3 years or so, and now I use both the Uni and the XDA. Because I have been using the XDA so long, I do not have any problem with the Uni. They are both relatively about the same size and weight and same usage. Nobody laughes at me when I hold the big phone next to my ear, because I have done that for years with my XDA.
I laugh at myself when I noticed how funny its when having a bug (BT headset) in my ear now.
Overall I really like the Uni though it still cannot replace my XDA fully in certain environment where I do not want to take the risk of having the Uni handles the job. But in office and home, Uni is perfect.
Software wise, when the XDA came out, the software loaded were really buggy, it took years before finally everything became really stable, so with that matter of fact, I could accept Uni at its right now with hope it will be close to 100% perfect in the near future.
jasjar with no build or quality problems, and I love everything except the name. (I'm still planning to get around to using that sugar cube.)
I'm pretty impressed by the overal feel of my Qtek. The plastic feels very strong, it doesn't look or feel like a cheap plactic box. The rotating hinge works flawlessly, but when I put my screen in laptop modus, there is a very minimal play. But I guess this is normal? Can anyone confirm!?
Hi all!
I own 1 wizard and I am very happy. Mow my operator made me a proposal to upgrade to the Universal for 150 Euros.
Do you think I must move to the universal or saty with my wizard?
Thank you in advance.
If your wizard is the o2 one, i'd be willing to swap my universal for your wizard for free...
Wow! seams you are not so happy with your Universal. My wizard is a T-Mobile.
I'd stay with the Wizard... the only thing that slightly tempted me to get a Universal was the VGA screen. Other than that it runs the same software as a Wizard, it's been reported time and again that it's slower than the Wizard, it's physically a good bit larger (and the Wizard isn't all that small to begin with, especially in terms of thickness), the hinge mechanism for the screen goes slack so badly that people have had 'repairs' (tightening) twice already.. keep in mind that the Universal wasn't launched that long ago, etc.
Also, the Wizard just looks pretty sexy
ZeBox: I'm almost convinced...
Well, if you really want to be convinced, go to a store that carries the Universal - just be prepared to be lured into temptation by that VGA screen But if you ignore that bit, *shrug*, Wizard all the way
I had a Universal from t-mobile, 3 infact, all the hindges went slack and clicked so they were returned and I left them for orange. Same thing again, clicks, loose so ive ditched that too.
I admit the VGA screen was a luxury, but it felt quite heavy in the pocket and stabbed me in the leg a few times sitting down. It was also quite slow, especially on somthing as simple as making a call.
Ive ended up with the Wizzard, and im very happy with it. Its the closest HTC have come to making a pda device that looks like a phone and its quite fast considering its technically slower than the Universal.
I dont think you'll be happy with a universal once the glory of the first few weeks has passed. The wizzard certainly is a fine little device and im glad I got one in the end.
Thank you guys for your opinions. Now I am convinced. I'll stay with my wizzard (t-mobile with QTEK rom) wich satisfy all my communication and organisation needs.
Thanks again.
I'm not sure I agree. My universal is faster than my old wizard, the keyboard makes a huge difference and it's no bigger than my wizard was with a cover, which you needed to protect the screen, but don't need with the Universal. Also it's more stable I used to have to soft reset my wiz all the time plus my buletooth headset works properly with it whereas it didn't with my wiz after the last ROM upgrade. And it doesn't wipe/corrup SD cards (yet). Also 3G is abig advantage in so far as I travel alot and now I don't need to pay to login to wifi hotspots, at airports for example, anymore.
Remember neither device is really a very good phone, the battery life isn't up to it and the size is prohibitive.
Well that's my opinion anyway!
simple trade off, size vs function
I had a Magician & loved it but then the Universal appeared I "had to get it", today I sold it to a workmate and bought a Wizard (T-mobile) thats a weight off my mind, and my pocket, I could not carry the Universal around with me easily, I found myself dressing in the morning to accommodate my phone (how F****d up is that?). the Wizard is more like a phone GTi and the Universat is like a 7 year old PC, as I normally carry a PSP and a Laptop for work I found the Universal slow, fragile and oversized ( the VGA left me cold, it is not really VGA, well not useable VGA, fonts are too small and none of the apps suit it. I know that there are some amazing people in this forum working hard but its kinda hard to polish a turd.
If you want a laptop, buy one, if you want a phone, buy one but do not expect one to do the others work for it.
I should have learned my lesson when I bought a Sony NZ90 (another huge bulky "PC replacement") but I think that for 99% of the techno-savvy world a phone is a phone & a computer is a computer.
rant over, sorry to the Universal owners out there
I have both and for me it's pretty obvious its all about intended use.
Wizard: small, low power CPU (although this is not so apparnt, it feels pretty quick most of the time), qvga. EDGE (at best, no EDGE here in the UK so 2G speeds only!). Fits in your pocket no problem. usable keyboard. Perfect 'everyday' PDA phone
Universal: Faster CPU (but ****ty ROMs and power schemes negate this benfit to a large extent). VGA screen is LOVELY! (but no hardware 2D or 3D acceleration means playing games or videos is a bit shakey). Really good Keyboard. Funky swiveling screen (double edged sword as the hinges seem to be a weakness). Big and really rather heavy. UMTS! Only fits in your pocket if your wearing combats! Perfect 'mini laptop' (I've composed large docs and loooong emails on mine!). Perfect PDA that happens to be a phone as well (if you see what i mean).
TBH, I have both and I use the wizard every day and the universal at weekends...
The dimensions don't tell me anything neither do photo's. The thing looks huge. I have the kaiser currently and I am interested in the Athena and the kaiser when I hold it from the bottom of my palm it reaches to the middle of my fingers(the middle ridges). How far would it go, and how practice is it to place a call? Any user experiences that are good bad? pros cons to it? I'm not looking at reviews because they are usually just to praise gadgets. I want real peoples experiences with it.
Thanks
~~Tito~~
the athena is about the size of my whole hand from base of palm up until end of pinky
its a huge phone but i love it...
everyone always asks me why i carry that thing around... but to me nothing else beats it
i didnt like using the bluetooth headset all the time and found talking directly into the mic with the volume turned down led to frequent complaints about sound quality. If you dont mind using an earpiece most of the time then this shouldn't concern you -i like talking into phones because i'm old fashoned and because it saves battery AND means i don't have to worry about TWO devices being charged before i go to work.
There is always the wired headset, but i think wires are a bit awkward and scruffy.
The size is huge, and certainly a talking point. Everyone who saw my athena commented on its size - usually in a derogatory manner - and i think i started to become known as the 'Big Phone Man'. I did love texting on my athena and didnt care too much what people thought but in the end it was the call handling that got me: you can have all the bluetooth wristwatches, earpieces and headsets in the world but nothing beats having a phone pressed against your ear for me.
For me, the size of Athena is the most optimal one could ever have. The 5 inches screen makes it practical to run realVGA at 96 dpi. (In 96dpi, the fonts are already very very small, but most people -not all- still find the screen big enough) If it is say 4 inches, I believe 96dpi would be quite impractical to use, and I believe most people would find the screen way too small to be used in 96dpi. It fits into standard size shirt pocket without any problem, and is not heavy enough to pull your shirt down too much. I would not buy it if the screen is say just 3.5 inches.
I use the phone as it is without bluetooth, sometimes with wired headset. Sound quality is very good with any wired headset. It is not in the same category of "bigness" as the shift. Athena is truly "body portable", which means you can bring it with you everywhere 27/7. I recommend a good belt pouch for this. I feel that Athena has managed to stay within the very limit of "body portability". Shift, on the other hand, is only "travel friendly" but you would leave it in the hotel once you reach your travel destination, unless you want to carry a backpack or briefcase in your hand all the time.
If you are unsure on how big it is, do what I did before I bought Athena. Measure the dimension and make model of it yourself and hold it to get a feel. (I actually carried the model in my pocket for a few days before acquiring mine). But it is also important not to think of this as a phone. It is a data first, phone second device. The size is superb for GPS, pictures, video playback, internet browsing, spreadsheets, word processing, etc. Smaller screens are just not as useful for these. I would be very very sad if the future model becomes say 4 inches screen only.
I agree with most of your points, though tito stressed call handling and size in his thread and made no mention of data-centic use. I would've disagreed about the Athena's browser capabilities until a few weeks ago but now Netfront 3.5 is here the Athena is a lot more desirable.
I agree about the 'body-portable' statement, though if you're used to very 'pocketable' phones then I wouldn't recommend the Athena, since without a protective case the screen is VERY vulnerable and nigh-on impossible to find a replacement for, even if you can squeeze it in my pocket - which I did, with the occasional scary moment! I like things in my pocket, not in pouches or fanny packs but Tito might be more like you Eaglesteve ;-)
The screen isn't transflective either so not great to view in daylight, though i believe you can buy screen covers to improve this.
I wouldn't disagree that wired headsets work great in terms of sound quality, but I just didn't personally like having wires trailing from my body, nor did i like having an earpiece in at work. I liked the 'feel' of the Athena and thus liked to pick up and hold it when taking calls. This was just my personal preference, and despite having every variation of headset I invariably held the phone to my ear.
The problem was that with both of the Athenas i owned - and indeed my Hermes which has a faulty embedded mic and necessitates loudspeaker use when handling calls - call quality was terrible when holding the device to my head - not from my end but for the other party. Held at the recommended distance as a voice conferencing aid it worked fine, but I didn't want everyone to know what I was saying!
I also disagree about video performance - not great in my experience, but perhaps graphics accelerator support is around the corner which would make a big difference.
If you also intent to use it as an MP3, you would have wired headset if you want the best possible quality sound, so I assume you would carry it with you somehow in your pocket most of the time anyway. (How else do we listen to music on the go?) Actually my version of wired headset is designed such that it hangs like a neckless over me all the time so I simply pick up the earbud and stick it into my ear when needed, and let it hang down like a neckless when not needed. The headset is inside my shirt with only a bit of the earbud wire coming out from the collar. So, it is really quite inconspicuous.
Yes, we do have some very nice browsers coming up. It has made hell of a difference in the past few weeks. It will get even better with Opera Mobile 9.5 and Netfront's final version. Not to mention the Skyfire. We'll be spoilt for choice.
Also, you might want to try Softmaker Office 2008, which is sensational on Athena's big screen. It is available for free download and will be free until end of March. Get it. I just LOVE this on Athena's screen. Read more about softmaker office here: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1078
I do not have any problem with my videos. All my videos play very well. They're mostly download from the net, so they might have been converted already though.
I don't have issue carrying the device in the belt pouch. It is very well protected already as I put the screen facing my body. That's how I carried my past devices as well, and had never had any problem. Athena's is not that fragile. Of course, please don't put it in your back pocket and sit on it.
eaglesteve said:
If you also intent to use it as an MP3, you would have wired headset if you want the best possible quality sound, so I assume you would carry it with you somehow in your pocket most of the time anyway. (How else do we listen to music on the go?) Actually my version of wired headset is designed such that it hangs like a neckless over me all the time so I simply pick up the earbud and stick it into my ear when needed, and let it hang down like a neckless when not needed. The headset is inside my shirt with only a bit of the earbud wire coming out from the collar. So, it is really quite inconspicuous.
Yes, we do have some very nice browsers coming up. It has made hell of a difference in the past few weeks. It will get even better with Opera Mobile 9.5 and Netfront's final version. Not to mention the Skyfire. We'll be spoilt for choice.
Also, you might want to try Softmaker Office 2008, which is sensational on Athena's big screen. It is available for free download and will be free until end of March. Get it. I just LOVE this on Athena's screen. Read more about softmaker office here: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1078
I do not have any problem with my videos. All my videos play very well. They're mostly download from the net, so they might have been converted already though.
I don't have issue carrying the device in the belt pouch. It is very well protected already as I put the screen facing my body. That's how I carried my past devices as well, and had never had any problem. Athena's is not that fragile. Of course, please don't put it in your back pocket and sit on it.
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I can't fault music playback on the athena - it's really very good, and obviously while listening to music i used my sony bluetooth earbuds which use a necklace design as you describe eaglesteve. I dont think the athena is the most user-friendly mp3 player about though - not for on the move certainly since it is very precarious and fiddly to use the device one-handed. I wish someone would release an iphone thin 5 inch tablet - no keyboard but intelligent autorotate and scroll with a screen just slightly wide.r and just slightly narrorew than the athena. Id get one straightaway, but then nothing's ever perfect is it?? I think if anyone were to make such a device it would be LG
I have an unlimited data plan so data is not a problem. I do not use a case for my kaiser I let it sit naked in my pocket.
Is it faster than the kaiser? Has there been an in depth look to see if it indeed was missing the drivers also? I would like to know this, I would use this as a PC mainly, and my kaiser as an away phone(like using it at school, places where you don't really use the phone that much). How practical is to use data? Does it work well with reception, call quality? How useful is it with games and emu's? How well is it in pockets(naked)? What is the 8gb memory all about, and how is it used?
Please provide some of your experiences and your tips, I would like to know now because I am very reckless with things sometimes. .LOL)
Thanks guys!
~~Tito~~ said:
I have an unlimited data plan so data is not a problem. I do not use a case for my kaiser I let it sit naked in my pocket.
Is it faster than the kaiser? Has there been an in depth look to see if it indeed was missing the drivers also? I would like to know this, I would use this as a PC mainly, and my kaiser as an away phone(like using it at school, places where you don't really use the phone that much). How practical is to use data? Does it work well with reception, call quality? How useful is it with games and emu's? How well is it in pockets(naked)? What is the 8gb memory all about, and how is it used?
Please provide some of your experiences and your tips, I would like to know now because I am very reckless with things sometimes. .LOL)
Thanks guys!
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Click to collapse
I know you don't really believe in review, but I've done a post review which is after 10 months of actual use instead of initial impression. These articles might help you to decide:
Athena's storage: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/962
Athena's screen: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1011
Athena's keyboard : http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1031
Athena as a phone: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1063
More aspects of Athena will be published in due time.
Hopet this helps.
Thanks!! I will look at that!
leoni1980 said:
I can't fault music playback on the athena - it's really very good, and obviously while listening to music i used my sony bluetooth earbuds which use a necklace design as you describe eaglesteve. I dont think the athena is the most user-friendly mp3 player about though - not for on the move certainly since it is very precarious and fiddly to use the device one-handed. I wish someone would release an iphone thin 5 inch tablet - no keyboard but intelligent autorotate and scroll with a screen just slightly wide.r and just slightly narrorew than the athena. Id get one straightaway, but then nothing's ever perfect is it?? I think if anyone were to make such a device it would be LG
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Actually I use the music player very easily. It sits in my pouch while I use it on the road or when doing shopping. I have assigned the joystick to control it. The four joystick direction will allow me to volume up, volume down, next song, previous song. On rare occasion, if I want to jump to other song, I press the OK button to bring up the playlist, then just touch the desired song. So, there's even no question of one handed or two handed operation.
Anyway, I'm very used to operating Athena one handed. I mentioned many times that I have mastered this artform when entering my golf scores with one hand while pushing my golf buggy with the other hand. I have very small hand so most other people should be able to do better than me. How small is my hand? Well, where our hand joints the forearm there is a wrinkled line. From there to the tip of my middle finger my length is 175mm only. Most of my friend's hands are bigger than mine. It is obviously not as easy as a very small phone, but it is still possible, with some practice.
I agree that the device could be thinner, and do without the keyboard. But I'm not sure about changing the aspect ratio. I've confirmation from users of such devices that there are software compatibility issues. One users mentioned that the compatiblity issues between 800x480 and 640x480 is more severe than between QVGA and VGA based on his experience. I have not used it myself, so I don't know, but I think it is not so problem free.
What exactly does it come with when you buy it?
Different seller package it differently. In my case (or rather my relative's case as they bought my device as a gift for me), I got a wired head set with the ability to accept phone call and change volume, extra stylus, a 3 in 1 stylus (laser, normal pen, and stylus), screen protector (not very good one though, leaves the gap around the edge), usb cable, VGA out cable, car windscreen holder (for using GPS while driving), leather case (a very nice one, I should say, although I never use it since I don't use the hardware keyboard), CD containing the ROM, CD for a Mapking GPS software with one free map of your choice, CD for Sprite backup, GPRS monitor, WorldCard Mobile (a software that lets you use the camera to automatically capture name card details into your contact database), CE-Star (a chinese input software).
Some other retailer gave away iPod or a 17 inch LCD monitor, but I did'nt manage to get that. Earlier buyers also got a bluetooth headset instead of wired one.
Search "smartphones show 31" on youtube, which has some comparisons between an e90 and htc advantage, along with giving a good idea of the size of the device.
cool, whats so different about the x7501? I mean, what would be the benefits of getting it, is it worth it?
X7501 is cheaper i believe. It was brought out with windows mobile 6 pre-installed and does not have a video conferencing camera on the front as it is designed for the u.s. market. I think that's pretty much the only difference.
leoni1980 said:
X7501 is cheaper i believe. It was brought out with windows mobile 6 pre-installed and does not have a video conferencing camera on the front as it is designed for the u.s. market. I think that's pretty much the only difference.
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Oh, so, its better since I don't need the front camera anyways? I really want it, but I am just narrowing down which version and how it would play out to my standards of a tablet like that( I know what I said, I consider it a tablet because of its size and functionality).
What other perps are there to the device? Other than the screen and camera.
If I live in US, no doubt I'd buy X7501, as I would get local warranty and servicing. It's also cheaper than X7500. It is my understanding from one of the more knowledgeable posters in this forum that Telco in US are not allowed to offer video conferencing services (those in the know might like to confirm this), so it is pointless having 7500. The only issue now is 7501 versus a SSD model that is still unavailable, but may be available in the future in US. Against that, is the possibility that folks here might succeed in finding out how to upgrade X7501/7500 to a SSD drive. Like I said, if it can be done, then the X7501/7500 would certainly be superior to 7510 in my mind because we have all the hardware buttons, which are extremely useful.
I got this gadget when it first came out. I really love chunky smartphones that let you do real work on them - that's why I like the x75xx as well.
Now that credit crunch is here, and there's less to spread around, sometimes a gadget resurrected is as good as a new one. So I got my Jasjar out of its wraps and first (second) impressions are really very good. For one thing, compared with WM6, it is really very fast. What I really like is the battery life. Putting a 3G SIM in the thing is a revelation. The SIM kills my x7500, or the TyTN II, but the Jasjar seems to plough through. Plus the massive extra big batteries you can get (I have got a 3800mAh one) mean that you can use the thing during the day for all sorts of extras, namely, music on the go. That is a real plus.
There are problems of course - the lack of memory is real minus, but installing as much as I can on storage card means I can get more out of it, and using Memmaid and shutting down apps when I don't need them wrings a little more performance out it.
Which brings me to what I wanted to say: the tweak for letting it recognise SDHC cards over 2GB - the reason I migrated away from it in the first place - means I have an 8gig card in it now, with as many ebooks and songs as I could realistically want away from the office. So a big thank you to the regulars of this forum who go to the trouble of developing and publishing these things. I am really grateful. I think this is one gadget that deserves to be resurrected, with a new version, the design with the rotating screeen to tablet is just superb.
So - not a complaint, not a problem, just thanks to the regulars.
rjstep3
I have to agree with you.
When I got my Exec (a £160 grab off eBay with a 4GB SIM card and all the accessories bundled) I must admit, I was skeptical. That screen, too flimsy. That layout, too buggy. That OS, too slow... But with some playing about it now runs a charm, a really nice phone to use. The only downside is having to hold what seems like a chunk of Lego next to your face when you want to take a call, and I can never remember which button is which on the spine to answer/hang up calls. So I always end up hanging up on someone before I've even answered it!!!
Right now though, it's a lovely phone. That flimsy screen can be tightened, that layout can be modified, and that OS has been upgraded to Tomal's latest.
All I got to do now, is get myself an O2 SIM which has 3G on it!! Still on PAYG, which I've been meaning to change for a while. Ah well - on the Christmas list!!!
Universal is the best device!
Even today with the new devices Uni still having one of the best screens, almost same processor than the actual ones, and a keyborad that no device can beat!
Long live to Uni! (Even if it´s big, but it felts more solid on your hand)
Very true. With its big size comes its power which is second to none. Other than memory I have no complaints with this big man. I use bluetooth headset all the time so no worries like holding it for long. My jasjar has gone through very rough handling. But still it keeps on and on. Seems like its immortal. Its been more than 3 yrs with and so many things like iphone have passed by, but nothing attracts me more than this. Some of the things which make it royal and rich are:
lavish night glow keyboard
solid metallic frame
cool brushed finish
tablet design with sturdy hinges
two perfectly placed cameras
I can spend all day writing on this micro laptop. In short, its a never ending love.
But I cant conclude without mentioning the contribution of the members of this site. Everytime I start getting a little bit bored with it, I come to this site and put on some noce softwares or flash it. My love with it becomes even more energized. Thanks guys for all your efforts.
Out of all the phones I've purchased, tried and sold...I sometimes wish I would of kept my O2 Exec.
Funny really. I keep threatening to sell my 'ol Exec.
I bought it from O2 when it was first launched and retired it 6 months ago in lieu of something a little smaller (Touch Dual Plus).
Every now and then I get it set to sell it, but I just can't bring myself to do so
I'm hoping Father Christmas will bring me a new Batt and SD card so I can resurrect it fully.
Long live the XDA Exec
Mav
Two out of Five stars. (Amazon Review)
"This phone was a nightmare! I hate it with a passion", May 31, 2010
Here is a review of the Xperia X1. I have owned the X1, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC HD2, Nokia E90, Nokia E72, Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone. Other than the iPhone, I really hate this phone.
1) Build Quality - the plastic on this phone peeled off everywhere! The finishing on this phone is very susceptible to friction. The plastic chrome will peel off. The paint on the metal battery cover will scratch or peel off. The internal housing will crack. It's like the device had an earthquake and cracked itself. I didn't even sit on the device or drop it on anything. There is no way to prevent the plastic from cracking and peeling. All of this happened within 6 months.
The keyboard will also loose sensitivity. Over time, you will have to press on the keys harder and harder when you want to type something. The keyboard will only satisfy you for a year. And on top of that, the keyboard sucks. Don't even think about speed typing on this bad boy.
2) Efficiency - the phone is very inefficient. The terrible feedback on the keyboard forces me to use the virtual keyboard on the phone. On top of that, the screen is so small that using the virtual keyboard is a nightmare. This prevents me from being efficient with contact management and note taking. In deterred me from actually using the calendar and responding to text messages and emails. Unlike on the E72, I was not motivated to be organized with the software.
The phone is also very, very slow. Even with the latest firmware, it is very slow. This made me abhor using this phone for any reason. Don't even think about installing software that runs in the background, because it will eat your battery and retard your phone. The only way to make the device run at decent speeds is to minimize the software and the ROM.
3) Battery - the battery life is terrible. It only lasts 12-15 hours on standby without 3G enabled.
4) Camera - the camera doesn't beat the N95, but it's alright. The camera software is sluggish and is very uncomfortable to use. The camera has bad auto focus and weak flash LED.
5) Multimedia - the speakers on the phone is very weak so don't even bother watching movies or listening to music. Since this is a touch screen device, the screen isn't big enough for me to enjoy videos or web-browsing.
The sluggishness of this device also applied to it's Wi-Fi. That's why I avoided web-browsing altogether. It was just plain terrible. In fact, I prefer the Nokia E90 or Nokia E72 for web-browsing (they are non touch screen phones).
6) Phone - the call quality and loudness was at least better than my Nokia E72. However, the X1 speakerphone can't even compare to the E72 speakerphone. Please recall that phones usually have two separate speakers: the speakerphone/loudspeaker and the normal speaker. Well, the X1 has a very bad speakerphone/loudspeaker.
8) Internet - the internet is slow, the screen is small, and the CPU needs an update. This should conclude everything.
9) Price - at 800 U.S. dollars, it was an expensive piece of junk. But now that it is sold for 400 dollars brand new, it's a little more forgiving.
10) Something to consider - regardless of all of the cons I have provided, I enjoyed using the phone because it was highly customizable. Unfortunately, it lacked everything I expected from what was advertised: an awesome keyboard, perfect build quality, fast processor. I tried to make the best of it by customizing it with software and 'tricks' and that alleviated some of the pain. Also, so many people complemented on the beauty of my X1.
11) History on X1: When the X1 first came out, all of the reviewers gave the phone high marks for it's amazing build quality. Within a year, everyone noticed that its cosmetic and physical condition deteriorated greatly. The phone reviewers returned the X1 to the 'lenders' before they got the chance to witness the true nature of this phone.
I recently bought a X1 to use instead of a HD2 I also own, for emails etc. because of the hardware keyboard. I bought the X1 on ebay for £150 mint boxed condition, the HD2 was about £450 new. So far I am really loving the X1 vs the HD2 and wish I'd not bought the HD2 really.
I probably wouldn't be so happy with the X1 if I'd paid full retail price for it though!
Something is wrong with your particluar X1 if it cant last more than 12 hours in standby - leave mine on standby over night not charging at say 50 percent, wake up and its usually about 49 percent so maybe a problem with your battery.
Obviously its not perfect and it has many many problems but i've had it since it came out in the UK and i'm still with it (different one obviously since its been sent back so many times) but it works for me, its does what i want and how i want so its great, and internet browsing is greate and easy! Have you tried Opera Mini Beta? download it from their website - can easily look stuff up on the go!
Hey if i wasn't so much in a rush, i'd post a solution for almost every problem your facing. iv'e had my x1i for a month now and although it took me quite some time searching and posting throughout this forum! iv'e maximized as best as i could,My phones super fast,super stable,not to mention the internet. made mine alot louder both in speakerphone and music without any distort or damage,and all while having a look so good that makes peoples mouth water! anyone else agree?
Zeyn Karim said:
Hey if i wasn't so much in a rush, i'd post a solution for almost every problem your facing. iv'e had my x1i for a month now and although it took me quite some time searching and posting throughout this forum! iv'e maximized as best as i could,My phones super fast,super stable,not to mention the internet. made mine alot louder both in speakerphone and music without any distort or damage,and all while having a look so good that makes peoples mouth water! anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything you said . I've had my phone for 8 months now and have never had to send it in to get repaired for anything?
I agree with the second poll option but i'm not supprised that this was XDA's #1 device, at the time this device was awesome and sleek.
poetryrocksalot said:
Two out of Five stars. (Amazon Review)
"This phone was a nightmare! I hate it with a passion", May 31, 2010
Here is a review of the Xperia X1. I have owned the X1, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC HD2, Nokia E90, Nokia E72, Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone. Other than the iPhone, I really hate this phone.
1) Build Quality - the plastic on this phone peeled off everywhere! The finishing on this phone is very susceptible to friction. The plastic chrome will peel off. The paint on the metal battery cover will scratch or peel off. The internal housing will crack. It's like the device had an earthquake and cracked itself. I didn't even sit on the device or drop it on anything. There is no way to prevent the plastic from cracking and peeling. All of this happened within 6 months.
The keyboard will also loose sensitivity. Over time, you will have to press on the keys harder and harder when you want to type something. The keyboard will only satisfy you for a year. And on top of that, the keyboard sucks. Don't even think about speed typing on this bad boy.
2) Efficiency - the phone is very inefficient. The terrible feedback on the keyboard forces me to use the virtual keyboard on the phone. On top of that, the screen is so small that using the virtual keyboard is a nightmare. This prevents me from being efficient with contact management and note taking. In deterred me from actually using the calendar and responding to text messages and emails. Unlike on the E72, I was not motivated to be organized with the software.
The phone is also very, very slow. Even with the latest firmware, it is very slow. This made me abhor using this phone for any reason. Don't even think about installing software that runs in the background, because it will eat your battery and retard your phone. The only way to make the device run at decent speeds is to minimize the software and the ROM.
3) Battery - the battery life is terrible. It only lasts 12-15 hours on standby without 3G enabled.
4) Camera - the camera doesn't beat the N95, but it's alright. The camera software is sluggish and is very uncomfortable to use. The camera has bad auto focus and weak flash LED.
5) Multimedia - the speakers on the phone is very weak so don't even bother watching movies or listening to music. Since this is a touch screen device, the screen isn't big enough for me to enjoy videos or web-browsing.
The sluggishness of this device also applied to it's Wi-Fi. That's why I avoided web-browsing altogether. It was just plain terrible. In fact, I prefer the Nokia E90 or Nokia E72 for web-browsing (they are non touch screen phones).
6) Phone - the call quality and loudness was at least better than my Nokia E72. However, the X1 speakerphone can't even compare to the E72 speakerphone. Please recall that phones usually have two separate speakers: the speakerphone/loudspeaker and the normal speaker. Well, the X1 has a very bad speakerphone/loudspeaker.
8) Internet - the internet is slow, the screen is small, and the CPU needs an update. This should conclude everything.
9) Price - at 800 U.S. dollars, it was an expensive piece of junk. But now that it is sold for 400 dollars brand new, it's a little more forgiving.
10) Something to consider - regardless of all of the cons I have provided, I enjoyed using the phone because it was highly customizable. Unfortunately, it lacked everything I expected from what was advertised: an awesome keyboard, perfect build quality, fast processor. I tried to make the best of it by customizing it with software and 'tricks' and that alleviated some of the pain. Also, so many people complemented on the beauty of my X1.
11) History on X1: When the X1 first came out, all of the reviewers gave the phone high marks for it's amazing build quality. Within a year, everyone noticed that its cosmetic and physical condition deteriorated greatly. The phone reviewers returned the X1 to the 'lenders' before they got the chance to witness the true nature of this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had my Xperia for over a year (since feb 2009) and I am still happy with it,
1 My Xperia is the silver version so no paint to scratch off. Usually I carry it around in a case so no real scratches. It does have a couple of the notorious cracks though, (Just under the volume control and above the camera) but they are not noticible unless you look for them and they do not affect the functionality of the device.
2. The keyboard is mostly good for me. It seems to have a few rare times when it is being tempramental but on the whole no issues. I use the onscreen keyboard occasionally and can type relitively well without using the stylus if I have to.
3. My batttery life with the R3A rom was over and around 3 days with light use. My current rom (Christians full rom) requires charging around once a day so I am going to change to a lighter rom.
4. The camera is a bit slow, and the LED flash isnt the best, but I find it does what I need it to do, I use it as my main camera since I cant be bothered carying around two devices and have no complaints. It takes scenery and people quite well, for dark scenes it may take a bit of playing around.
5 Yes the loudspeaker is bad, But I watch movies and play multimedia with the headphones, sound quality is great then. I only run into problems when I want loud speaker for phonecalls in noisy environments, which isnt often.
6 I manage web browsing fine, yes its true I would use a device with a larger screen if I bought one along, but I often dont because the xperia is extreemely portable and web browsing is no problem for me.
7. I haven't run into any problems with the wifi, the wifi seems to operate as well as anyone elses phone.
8. Yes I agree that when it was released it was overpriced, but arnt most devices? the age old lesson is that you should wait a bit before buying somthing, Dont get caught in the hype.
Their is a simple fix for the sound on the Xperia X1. It's called "optxperiabeta02". I've been using it for 7 month's now.
hungry81 said:
I have had my Xperia for over a year (since feb 2009) and I am still happy with it,
1 My Xperia is the silver version so no paint to scratch off. Usually I carry it around in a case so no real scratches. It does have a couple of the notorious cracks though, (Just under the volume control and above the camera) but they are not noticible unless you look for them and they do not affect the functionality of the device.
2. The keyboard is mostly good for me. It seems to have a few rare times when it is being tempramental but on the whole no issues. I use the onscreen keyboard occasionally and can type relitively well without using the stylus if I have to.
3. My batttery life with the R3A rom was over and around 3 days with light use. My current rom (Christians full rom) requires charging around once a day so I am going to change to a lighter rom.
4. The camera is a bit slow, and the LED flash isnt the best, but I find it does what I need it to do, I use it as my main camera since I cant be bothered carying around two devices and have no complaints. It takes scenery and people quite well, for dark scenes it may take a bit of playing around.
5 Yes the loudspeaker is bad, But I watch movies and play multimedia with the headphones, sound quality is great then. I only run into problems when I want loud speaker for phonecalls in noisy environments, which isnt often.
6 I manage web browsing fine, yes its true I would use a device with a larger screen if I bought one along, but I often dont because the xperia is extreemely portable and web browsing is no problem for me.
7. I haven't run into any problems with the wifi, the wifi seems to operate as well as anyone elses phone.
8. Yes I agree that when it was released it was overpriced, but arnt most devices? the age old lesson is that you should wait a bit before buying somthing, Dont get caught in the hype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I owe and use every day my X1 as a main and only
pocket computer since December 2008.
Use is heavily.....
And I must say basically it still rocks.
Regarding the problems from the first post:
I agree that a keyboard gets a bit worse after that time. I didn't happen to SE P990 which I've also used for 1,5 years.
Now I owe also X2 and THIS IS THE KEYBOARD!!
The paint on the black back cover got scratched but
this is what happens to every device.
Plastic peeled off only on the 4 direction pad.
The rest is perfect.
The one crack I have is only be because it dropped badly and nothing else happened actually.
Battery is perfect. If not used heavily it's like 2 days.
The speed: that's interesting.
I don't know what did you do with your X1
@poetry
My X1 is still on R1 firmware (!!!!!)
and it is lightning fast!
I mean really fast....
I also saw lately Omnia I who somebody owned:
that was a crap man......
@poetryrocksalot: I do not agree with you. So far I have only made the best experiences with my Xperia X1.
Build quality: Like I stated on various occasions here at XDA the build quality of my Xperia X1 is absoluetely ok. Ok the paint of the baterry cover comes of but this is only a minor issue. In fact every phone has it's weak points and this one is really not serious. What's more my phone is completely free of cracks.
Battery: Are you kidding me? I have not seen many smartphones that have better endurance with one battery than the X1. I have got two batteries and if I mind how often I use the phone those two batteries easely last 4 days and there is still some power left after those 4 days. There are only a few smartphones out there that last more than a day with one charge.
Screen: What influence has the fact that the X1 is a touchscreen phone on it's performance when it comes to multimedia features (such as playing videos). Would the screen be big enough so you could enjoy your videos if the screen wasn't touchable? Where is the context in this statment? I consider the screen still among the best on the market as long as we talk about quality. It could be bigger that's true but SE never claimed to sell the phone with the biggest display. Show me all phones out there that are capable of playing 800 * 480 movies fluently. There aren't many and the X1 was launched in 2008.
Internet: What makes you think the X1 is bad for webbrowsing? I use Opera 10 and it's by far not sluggish. Normally the speed of webbrowsing depends on the connection whitch itself depends on your provider and the network coverage. Even the HD 2 is slow when using GPRS Once again my phone is not slow neiter on WLAN nor on HSDPA/ UMTS.
Price: It's true the initial price of 800 $ was too much. Thats why I did not get it when it came out. I bought my phone back in November 2009 and I paid 570 Swiss Francs. In $ that is approximately 450. And that was without a contract. It's an old story: Early adopters will always pay the price.
I could go on like this for several lines but I think I have already made clear my attitude. The X1 has its flaws like every product but it's by no means a bad product.
Some remarks from me below. I've had my X1 since september 2008.
Build Quality
Seems to differ a lot from batch to batch, and from color to color. I have a black X1. Noting have peeled off anywhere, but a letter in the SE logo. Almost no scratches on the battery cover. No cracks in the usual places although I've dropped it rather frequently.
However, I do have a crack in the metal surrounding... but the hit the phone took when that appeared made me surprised the phone is still alive at all.
Keyboard. No issues whatsoever. Might need a little cleaning soon.
Cooling of LED bad. Made my vibrator stop working... 'til I dropped the phone the next time. Plastic lens cover broken. Got squeezed into a table corner when I moved.
2) Efficiency
Software updates from SE... sucks.
3) Battery
Not as good as when it was new, but it's ok. Always on 3G.
4) Camera
Can live with it. Not good.
5) Multimedia
Speaker utterly rubbish. The lack of xvid support is crap.
6) Phone
Ok. Nothing more. Nothing less.
8) Internet
Always using Opera Mini 5, way better when Opera Mobile IMHO. Fast and stable.
9) Price
Eh... I don't know. The discounts here in Sweden are very, very, very, very good if you sign up for two years. I pay about the same price as seven Big Mac & Co a month for flat rate data and I can still use all those money to make calls with. Phone was free of charge.
Conclusion: Will probably go for a Desire in two months. Or Iphone 4G. Or something else. Not a Win Mob phone.
Build quality isnt soo good - i noticed the black paint comes off so i got some cheap carbon fiber looking tape and covered it, its protects it well.
i hate the silver parts on it - thought it was metal till one day i noticed there was a crack and i haven't dropped yet,so i attached a piece of string on the bottom to decrease the chances of cracking on its own.
the battery is good in my opinion lasts 3,4 days for me
camera sucks because you have to press down on the button to take a picture which may put the phone focusing out of place, but htc sense roms with touch focus to take a pic is alot better
speaker is weak when outside.
i still think its a great phone, but i dislike the O\s when it comes to efficiency
the processor and its hardware should be fine for a phone.
I acquired a second-hand semi-broken X1 very recently, after owning, testing, repairing or playing with most WM phones on the market. My own conclusion - not bad at all, most impressed by the screen.
Got Nuts ROM and sound optimizer loaded - like it even more, can't say I would ever be happy with the original ROM, but with TF3D ports I got everything I needed. Every device will have its own little quirks and bogies, none will ever be perfect, my only gripe with X1 is the keyboard, but only because I also keep my old trusty 128Mb HTC Universal as a second device and its QWERTY simply can't be beaten. Even Wizard has better keyboard!!!!
X1's keyboard is miserable and next to useless - button feedback is misleading, general inconsistency in pressure requirement and double-typing is common, buttons are fiddly, even for my small and adept fingers - all leading to slow and deliberate usage, which is counter-productive.
No issues whatsoever with anything else. From past experiences with X1s brought in for repairs, main issue is, of course, flex. But that is simply called 'all-slide desease' and should be expected regardless of the make and model.
I do believe the silver version is a much better option, silver metallic parts can be lightly polished and be as good as new, I have no peeling paint or other obvious cracks, apart from tiny, barely noticeable ones here and there. The battery door opening could be better thought out design-wise, even a simple spring lock would be preferable to peeling it off with your fingernails.
Optimizations, tweaks and various add-ons are out there - don't complain about lack of this or that - find the solution!
Almost forgot - those complaining of lack of playback support for this or that - find the solution and you will be surprised how well everything will play. As far as browsers are concerned - nothing beats Opera 10 for me (well, for now anyway), got Opera mini 5 running on my LG Arena - had gutsful, but had no choice, so glad I don't have to on Xperia