Database Users

How do you rate your Exec Poll.

At first I would have given this kit a 9 or 10 but now that I have had time to play with it I would only give it a 6
Now that you have had time to play around with your Exec, How would you rate it from 1 - 10? But please think about other PDA's and Phone's compared to the Exec.

I agree I thought it was 10/10 when I first got it.
I would have given the box it came in 9/10.
But as "ukmdb" after playing with it for a few days....this drops to 5/10.
And I`m still finding faults..

Currently I'd rate my Jasjar a 4/10.
Hardware I'd rate a 8/10 but ROM a 4/10 and ActiveSync a 1/10 and WM2005 application software availability a 1/10!
I stall have to carry my XDA II WM2003SE device with me. I'm waiting for backup software, GPS software, ActiveSync software that works, AvantGo software that Syncs via ActiveSync and room to install eBook readers etc.

foxnolds said:
Currently I'd rate my Jasjar a 4/10.
Hardware I'd rate a 8/10 but ROM a 4/10 and ActiveSync a 1/10 and WM2005 application software availability a 1/10!
I stall have to carry my XDA II WM2003SE device with me. I'm waiting for backup software, GPS software, ActiveSync software that works, AvantGo software that Syncs via ActiveSync and room to install eBook readers etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For backup software I uploaded a backup program @ zevink.com called sunnysoft backup manager, and for gps software I hear if you grab the tom tom cabs it works with WM5 (says the blueangel forum) who also uses WM5 on there devices, such as me. ANd activesync is still slow and sucky to this day

- Deleted -

I'm still exploring not too satisfied with it. May be i expected too much from this brick..

JJ users seems to have had more problems then Exec users as far as I can see. I have not suffered any call problems with BT headsets but my Messaging is very unstable. 3G downloads work a charm. But WM5 still looks like WinCe from 1999!
My score after 2 weeks (now only about one reset a day!): 6/10

The EXEC is my third pda and im still messing aroud with it (as i did the others (ipaq & xda2i). Sometimes i dont know why i bother with these things (maybe a filofax and small nokia would be easier). But other times i think it is the best thing i could own. I give it 6/10

I`ve given up...
Gonna give O2 a call tomorrow and cancell the contract.
Maybe next I`ll try an XDA2 or what for the XDA Exec2.
Sony Ericsson have the P990i due soon...
I have already have a P910i and would rate it an easy 8.5/10.

Hi,
Tks so much.i thought of buying exec but now looking at this poll.
i better not to buy exec.

Me too, 3 mda's and every one of them got a loose hinge, if that happens after 3 hours of full time use then after a year id be luckly if it was still in once peice.

I think the Exec is excellent. WM5 is still very rough, and not well supported by developers, quite understanderbly.
I've had an Ipaq, Motorola A920/925, XDA2 and I think the Exec is far better than any of them were 2 weeks after the launch. I know O2 have had a lot of stick over the delays in releasing the Exec, but perhaps that is why it is apparently more stable than the Jasjar?
I have experianced no missed calls and no email problems, other than me giving the wrong settings. Biggest pain is with BT dropping, but that seems to be a WM5 issue, not the phone.
Plus I had the childhoodlike christmas delight with the amazing Exec box to amuse me for hours!

I had a Nokia 9500
-no working Excel, hardly work with MS Word, slow converting.
-many mistakes with synchronising Outlook
-No Outlook notes sync
-No Internet favourites sync, no sync of files
-weird screen, because not square enough
-sloooooooow
-more bugs then the Jasjar.
-Non standard OS: Symbian. Software only works in specific device. (Symbian software on e.g. a SE p900 does not work on any other Symbian)
-Very little software available.
-not many professional forums available. People become emotional when you complain.
-no Rom update via Internet, but via shop, so travel required.
-In shirt Pocket a 9500 does not "sit" very well. Sticks out too high.
-No UMTS; no automatic switching between WIFI/GPRS/PC etc.
-No USB port standard. No loading of battery via USB.
-No special buttons for camera etc. Very unhandy four way rocker button.
-No headphone jack standard. Need special $$ Nokia cable.
-No lit keyboard
-NO TOUCHSCREEN
-No front camera
-Bad camera viewer
So you all understand why I gave the Jasjar a 9/10
New hardware and new OS: I understand those problems as early adopter.
+Great future ahead
Huib

Same Here!
I'm with Foxnolds...
Basic hardware is great, but Activesync 4 puts it back into the dark age!

herpi said:
I had a Nokia 9500
-no working Excel, hardly work with MS Word, slow converting.
-many mistakes with synchronising Outlook
-No Outlook notes sync
-No Internet favourites sync, no sync of files
-weird screen, because not square enough
-sloooooooow
-more bugs then the Jasjar.
-Non standard OS: Symbian. Software only works in specific device. (Symbian software on e.g. a SE p900 does not work on any other Symbian)
-Very little software available.
-not many professional forums available. People become emotional when you complain.
-no Rom update via Internet, but via shop, so travel required.
-In shirt Pocket a 9500 does not "sit" very well. Sticks out too high.
-No UMTS; no automatic switching between WIFI/GPRS/PC etc.
-No USB port standard. No loading of battery via USB.
-No special buttons for camera etc. Very unhandy four way rocker button.
-No headphone jack standard. Need special $$ Nokia cable.
-No lit keyboard
-NO TOUCHSCREEN
-No front camera
-Bad camera viewer
So you all understand why I gave the Jasjar a 9/10
New hardware and new OS: I understand those problems as early adopter.
+Great future ahead
Huib
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 9500 and have had a JJ and now have an XDA Exec. I disagree with you on many points, but it is not helpful to argue because it depends on your requirements and expectations. All I will say is that I don't use my Exec a phone because I can't trust it, I reset it once a day, it has very little user memory and the battery lasts less 1/3 of the time the 9500 battery lasts. Also some of the issues you mention have been addressed. Finally, the 9500 is a phone with PDA functions and the Universal is a PDA with a (poor) phone implementation.

Interesting that despite all the complaining on these forums, most people are still very happy with their Universal.
If you only read the forums you'd think the Universal was a dreadful machine. It seems that it's not.
Nice idea for the poll.

Yep, 63% of people (at the moment) give the Universal 8/10 or more.
Not bad at all, and personally, I'm even happier with my device now than I was when I voted a couple of weeks or so ago...

I gave my Exec a 9/10 because the hardware for me works for what I need it to do perfectly. Yes there are some software issues that I'd like to see fixed but that is software and is dynamic. Hardware on the other hand...if it doesn't work, then I just dumped a lot of money.
These were my expectations going in:
1. Phone use. I haven't had ANY issues after a good hard reset and corporate mode. I do have a problem with callers hearing my ringtone but I think that is because of MS Voice Command.
2. E-Mail. I run an IT business and I need to be in touch and up to date. Being able to get my email sent to my phone every 10 mins is great - attachments and all. Being able to show prospective customers Microsoft's SBS with Outlook Mobile Access is a money maker for me. This phone literally helps me sell complete networks.
3. Terminal Services / RDP. I need to be able to effectively service my customers quickly or hire employees. With this phone, I can easily TS into a customer's network and perform any function as if I were there. Sure, I could lug a laptop around and I do. However, yesterday, I was in a bookstore and I received a call. I needed to restart the print spooler. I didn't have my laptop with me (in the van) and I still needed to find a book. So, I pulled out my phone, TS'd into my office workstation and from there TS'd to my client and got the job done.
Now, you are asking, why would I TS to my office first. For faster Internet speeds & utils. Also, I have more ways of connecting from a true workstation than from the phone. Such as the RDP Client & the Remote Web Workplace (active-x/https). I don't have the VPN thing from the phone down yet though.
So, the hardware is great. I would like the software fixed a bit but that will come.

I personally may return mine. The hardware is a 7 - let down only by the poor quality of some componenents.
The software is a 4.
The OEM support is non exhistant and this being my first contract phone .. I'm really f*** scared of mobile phone companies. Who the hell is regulating that lot? Cos some of the stuff they get away with is stunning ...
Sending out refurbs, not honouring DD agreeements, C/S being appualing etc.
All said and done, I dont need a phone, I need an IPAQ AND a phone.
This business of PDA + phone is 5 years away from being worth buying imho.

How cheap are you going to let it go?! After all, if you sell it for too much you'll just feel bad over how you ripped the other guy off! LOL
Oh, I forgot to add another requirement that I had.
4. I needed to be able to use RFCons' Time Tracker MX QuickBooks Edition. http://www.rfcons.com/
If anyone deals with billing by the hour while out of the office, this software rocks. BIG HOWEVER...Since Microsoft took out Pocket Access in ActiveSync 4.x/WM5, there is a sync'ing issue of the database with which is still being dealt.
At first, I had a flickering problem when I installed this software with the timer running, but after the hard reset I mentioned in an earlier post, everything is perfect.

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!

Prophet/JAMin versus Atom

Hi,
Did a search and couldn't find exactly the question I have so here goes. I'm looking to buy a phone/PDA unit and am currently stuck between the Prophet/JAMin and the Atom.
Main uses will be standard PDA stuff, however I do a lot of 4WDing and will be installing Oziexplorer mapping software (for offroad use) and perhaps TomTom or Destinator for city/urban use.
I am leaning more towards the JAMin for its fullsize SD card slot (I have a few cards already available), however I am concerned about the speed of the unit when running mapping given its 200Mhz chip compared to the Atoms 416Mhz one.
Anyone out there able to shed some light on this and allay or confirm my concerns? Other than the chip speed and slot size, I don't really see much difference between the specs for the two that would impact me - I can live with either Bluetooth 1.2 oe 2.0 and tri-band will suit as much as quad-band, although the one thing I haven't seen on the spec sheets is that the Atom will playback music files in AAC format whereas the JAMin will. Can anyone confirm this?

Hi!
I don't know much about the Atom, but as a recent switcher from JAM to Qtek S200 I would advise you to made a carefull move.
S200 Omap processor is slow, not by Mhz itself, but a poor performer, specially doing Bluetooth-GPS navigation.
I know it depends on ROM and radio versions, but mine is definitely lagging behind any other machine I had before, HTC machines I mean.
I'd rather stick with Intel processors and even WM 2003 if you are not fully commited to something that only WM5 provides... and I see nothing really.
Too early and poorly implemented the last HTC changes......

Jamin is better in so many ways
1. Atom screen my self-identify as transflective but it is not. Prophet (Jamin) screen is HQ TFT transflective. As result the Atom is almost "blind" outdoors. This is a serious drawback, specifically for SatNav
2. Atom has a 416 MHz CPU but it's integration leaves a lot for improvement. Prophet may be relatively slow 195 MHz (nothing realy disturbing but for demanding games and/or number crunching), but so is Atom, the latter for bad engineering.. Besides, comparing TI OMAP and Intel Bulverde only by numbers is wrong to start with...
3. Prophet on latest AKU2 ROM (all Jamin/Qtek/Dopod) is stable enough, Atom on latest ROM still gives headache, freezes, etc.
4. Prophet Quality of build materials is years better than Atom's.
I had both, had to choose one, finally chosen the Prophet sold the Atom (for what it's worth..)

my opinion about prophet
First of all I must say that I do not have an atom and I did not have a chance to use it.
So far I had XDA, XDA II, XDA IIi, HP ipaq 4150, and a number of GSM phones including Motorola V600 and Nokia 6230i.
I was never happy with PPC phones. There was always a PPC feature that was missing like Wi-Fi or widdcom stack.
Then came XDA IIi. Ever since I saw it on expansys, I waited it like a lover Oh my god, what a disapointment it was. As a PPC it was perfect, simply perfect; but as a phone it was horrible. There was echo on the conversations and camera was the worst I have seen with a 1.3 MP sensor. If you look at i-mate site it is still written under the "known issues" topic that "there is a slight echo reported by users which will be solved soon" :-D
And I gave up using PPC phones. I bought an ipaq h4150 and Nokia 6230i, both which I find the best.
Then after a year, just for curiosity, I bought a prophet.
I changed the ROM to the latest Dopod. I loaded a number of applications and tried to test it. At the very beginning it was very very slow. The starting was taking 2:15 minutes after soft reset and for Resco explorer 5.20 it was taking 13 to 19 seconds to open windows folder (Where all the files wer choosen to be viewed, ie "hide ... files" choice was unchecked). I have loaded and removed a lot of applications; most likely the registry was full of weird keys.
After a week, I hard reset the device and reloaded the applications. Now I am using a number of applications like spb diary, imageer, weather, pocket plus, time, gprs monitor, omega one calculator, Adope 2.0, Agile messenger, Resco explorer and Keyboard, Megasoft2000 Pocket Clock, Lygea 12C; TCPMP and some more and relativeley light applications. It takes 1:35 minutes from soft reset to open and 4 -5 seconds to view windows folder.
I do not use any overclocking or registry tweak to run the device faster.
I find the ppc very acceptable. The phone is very stable. No hang ups or freezing. The camera is very acceptable, not same, but very close to nokia 6230i or Sony K750 camera.
If you plan to have a ppc phone and if you do not want to wait for future products, I reccomend the device.
But I must warn you about one thing: You will see a number of people that are suffering from loosing the GSM signal after they lost it once. This should be very annoying. I don' t have any of the problems that people write here and there. But for some reason there are people that have serious problems like this.
Before finishing, let me take your attention to ipaq 4150. It is, in my opinion, the best PPC that has been designed. The lightest and fastest of all PPCs that has 400 MHz processor and built in Wi-Fi and BT. It also has a very sharp screen and built in widdcom stack. It is also very cheap in ebay. It may be a solution to processor power demanding applications.
These are all I can write.
Cheers.

What about the MIO A701. It has a built in GPS receiver. 8)
You can pre-order at Expansys: http://www.expansys.com.au/product.asp?code=134278

No transflecting TFT
Had an A701 for a while. Having a transmissive TFT LCD (versus Transflective) is a serious handicap for any daylight/outdoor navigation, while this is one of device's main reasons of being.
In principle, I would suggest to avoid transmissive LCD for any use model involving outdoor activity, inclusive of Dailight driving. This technology is older than Transflective (actually was replaced by the latter) and comes back now as a measure of lowering production cost .
To those unfamilliar with the terms, the transflective LCD self reflects any front lighting (including Sun's), while at same time being backlit. This is "enjoying both worlds" and allows near optimal viewing all-arround (indoors/outdoors). Of course it is also expensive. On the opposite side there's Transmissive LCD that usually involves back lighting (exclusively) via a transparent LCD panel. Direct front light practically kills any decent chance to view the screen which becomes (in various levels) a mirror...
There were some discussions on this forum, where some claimed that a certain provider in Europe offers "dimmer" and narrower angle-of-view Prophets, different than generic iMate/Qtek. A quick search here will show screenshots which are pretty clear.
I haven't materially seen this provider's Prophet, but a look on a Mio A701 screen outdoors can easily be self explaining (BTW so is Atom and a whole new line of new devices with "retro" cheeper screens.

Go prophet! Mine loads slowly, 2:25 due to WA2 and WAD, but afterwards is quite snapy. 3 secs for opening win folder! No regrets whatsoever...

OK, my mind is now made up.
After some comments here, and a review of the JAMin against the Atom on another forum (in particular using Oziexplorer which is one thing I specifically want), I am buying the JAMin. Seems much better and faster in many respects, and cheaper, and I can use my full size SD cards.....
Now I just need to find the best deal.

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

Herald or Hermes ?

Hi all,
For those who have the experiences/luxury to tried on
both Herald and Hermes, can you pls share your experience
between the two ?
I am had a hard time deciding which to get.
Hermes is selling at much lower price than Herald over here.
Herald does not seem to be picking up here.
Also O2 Zinc in also about to be avaliable in matters of weeks.
I get the general feedback that Herald is much more
responsive than Hermes despite slower speed processors -
a big factor of consideration for me.
Specifications for both devices is OK for my usage/applications.
What I need is actual user feedback in comparision of the
2 devices such as
- actual battery life performance?
- skype performance?
- device stability ... etc ?
- third party devices accessories - e.g. dual sim card add on....etc ?
Thanks in advance.

I was in the same predicament, it came down to the fact that because i have a crappy data plan i would have no use for 3G, so I went for the much smaller and better looking (IMHO) herald. Very happy with it.

does the Herad has the same freeze issues ?
This would be really important for me since 2 resets a day with my TyTN/Hermes is just too much...

I have to restart it once every 3 days or so, using the Herald very very often !
But this always depends a lot on which Software you have currently installed on your device !

I would assume this would change with XV6800(verzion version of the Herald with rev a 3G) since it has 256 of memory and aku 3.5?

Get my Herald today
Hey,
I get my Herald today. Since today I used an TYTN.
First: Herald impressed me with they good performance and better looking.
Tomorrow I start to test it with all my programm from TYTN.
The TYTN has at the end problems with freezing.
I give you update
Oliver

what is the update?

Top Herald
Hello,
after 6 days using the Herald and play a lot of programmes on my Herald i can, say: Herald ist top, no freezing, good performance and it feels good.
I use it with an alucase and this ist the very much better with the TYTN. No problems to switch on camera, Com Manager....... The buttons on Herald are well placed (better than the TYTN). The Keyboard is better than the TYTN (no uncontrolled outcoming).
+ Better Keyboard
+ No freezes
+ Good inital Quality
- Performance a little bit slower than TYTN (but its OK)
If need to buy an HTC, at the moment I would buy an Herald (But I think after Herald generation there will come an Herald with 3G and a better CPU like the Samsung with AKU 3.X, thats my next HTC "Herald")
Oliver

Thx
Thanks for the update. Funny enough I mananged to get my Hermes running without any freezes: I am quite sure it is the SD card reading that can cause some lock-ups. So I maanged to get just every frequently used app on my internal memory. And the eMails & attachements as weel. I managed to use my hermes since 96 hours without freeze now.
Well, the Heradl seems quite nice - I will probalby get it as a second device and test it thoroughly.
Regards,
Apple*