Database Users

Wizard or XDA2i or Universal?

I currently own a HTC Universal which has caused me nothing but bother. Today was the final straw and it is now going back to O2. I have to decide which replacment phone to go with ....how are you guys finding the XDA mini s? is it any good? or should i go back to a XDA 2i
please advise.

Since no-one else will answer!
I have had the wizard now since november last year and I think it's great.
I have two friends with Universals, one who likes it and wants to keep it and one who swapped it for a wizard as soon as he saw mine.
On the plus side, the phone does everything the uni does except 3G but the battery seems to last a lot longer. I can get a couple of days use between charges if i'm careful.
The screen is really sharp but a trifle small. it doesn't bother me, and if you're able to read the mini web pages at 640 x 480 on the uni then it shouldn't bother you.
The keyboard is also easy to use and as an example, I am writing this on the wizard keyboard (with my big clumsy fingers) and i've only hit the wrong key three times so far.
The only negative thing is the speed. I occasionally find myself waiting for the pda to catch up - but is should stress occasionally because it's really not often enough to bother me.
TomTom 5, Skype and even some fancy 3D games work fine, although they take a little while longer to load up.
I'm sure people will want to argue over what i've said but for what it's worth the Wizard is in my opinion, approaching the perfect mobile device. Just needs a big HDD in it to be complete.
I can also recommend an Eten phone. I can't remember the model but it's basically a wizard without the keyboard and a 400Mhz processor. (it doesn't use mini-USB to charge though, needs an adaptor). See Expansys.

Welcome me

Just bought my Trion off eBay at $666 (Magic Numbers), it'll be here in 24-48hours, hopefully sooner. My current Blue Angel will be dismantled and fixed to perfection then transfered to my neighbor who's infactuated with it. I hope I made the right move as my BA has been working at it's finest with WM5 and recent performance advances. After 2 years with the BA, I must say I welcome the Tytn with open arms.
I mainly got the tytn for 3G access, but I'll welcome all the other goodies.
Pictures and full review to follow.

Congratulations and hope you enjoy your new acquisition in good health.
Just wondering you used the blue angel for 2 years. How is the keyboard mechanically. I mean with two years of use has it become very loose or is it still okay. I am asking this because I too want to shift from the Universal to the Tytn but just think how the HTC manufactured devices cope with the sliding keyboard design.
Once again congratulations and regards

Welcome to the elite group mate.
You will be very impressed with the tytn, it is very fast and HSDPA is just awesome!

srmz said:
Just wondering you used the blue angel for 2 years. How is the keyboard mechanically. I mean with two years of use has it become very loose or is it still okay. I am asking this because I too want to shift from the Universal to the Tytn but just think how the HTC manufactured devices cope with the sliding keyboard design.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to say that my keyboard is in perfect condition, with the odd fade here and there on the keys, but that is to be expected. As for the sliding hinge, it's not as bad as some of the others I have seen. I will be opening it up as I said to give is a full maintance and reviving the slider and overall feel.
If I had to do it all over again with the BA, I would definitely say "Yes". Also, you will notice that XDA II series to this day remains one of the highest cost. I mainly think this is attributed to not only the low availability but also that quality that went into this product. We all know that when a company initially makes a product, it is in the their best interest to create a "great" product. I've noticed quality decreasing in recent times comparing to the my XDA IIs, because I've played with all of them, the ATOM, the Neo, the Universal, the Wizard and soon the TyTN.
On another note, I've also noticed that the O2 versions that I have played with all seem to feel like more effort was put on delivering quality as opposed to the QTek or Imate versions. But maybe that's just me.
To answer your question, if you're looking to upgrade and the only thing holding you back is the slider hinge problems... don't worry about it, almost all slider problems are fixable and work even better after a proper hack and fix.

great device! few comments

Ladies and Gentlemen!
Just receivd my HTC Herald few days ago and I am happy to say :
this device is vey good.
on the PROS side:
battery life is very good - on pair with Excalibur
keyboard is sensational - sprung keyboard.
keyboard is identical to Hermes keyboard but has Exclaibur like rubber feel to it. very sexy!
device plays chimes when hardware keyboard is being slided out/ slided in.
very cool this one. my wife wants this device badly now
overall very well built device. great quality.
D-pad look is similar to HTC TyTN D-Pad but feels completely different! much better this one. better click easier to use. big step forward.
sylus - identical to Trinity. non-telescopic one. very convenient to use.
screen is very bright and clear.
WiFI and BT - can not compain about that one.
on CONS side:
200MHz processor - SKYPE is big NO NO unless processor is overclocked...
multimedia speaker sound is very soft. quite easy to miss on incomming call. did that few time already.
device is not as light as Artemis for an instance. it feels a bit heavier than it should.
I have noticed that this is due to the battery weight mainly.
great form factor! excellent replacement for HTC Wizard.

I hope when they come with the next version for the TyTn it is with the sprung keyboard with chimes
Regards

where did you purchase the herald?
im interested in getting one.

Sorry. I am afraid that HTC P4350 is not commercially available yet.
P.S. after almost full week of having Herald in operation I have eventually realised that great keyboard and D-Pad makes this phone exceptional for me.
I wouldn't touch Hermes any more. what a difference!
bigneeker said:
where did you purchase the herald?
im interested in getting one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'm with you on that one SecureGSM... I too have a P4350 (although an older firmware than yours), and think it's a keeper.
Size is great, dpad is great and keyboard is pretty good (not quite as good as Hermes IMHO, primarily due to location of button for left soft key).
I love the spring out keyboard action, but wish it was a bit lighter (why so heavy?) and wish it looked a bit more special and a bit less industrial
P

Cheers, Modaco!
It is the battery that makes this device feels heavy! I have realised that when I removed the battery out. Not sure why.. may be HTC has to use new designed battery in conformance with new European standards and regulations? battery is definetely heavier than normal would be. I guess this is the question to technical gurus. I am not one of those, sorry
modaco said:
I'm with you on that one SecureGSM... I too have a P4350 (although an older firmware than yours), and think it's a keeper.
... but wish it was a bit lighter (why so heavy?) and wish it looked a bit more special and a bit less industrial
P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

In Germany it costs "only" 120 dollars less than the Tytn, but especially with a data flat I would not want to miss 3G and HSDPA anymore. The problems with the low speaker sound and low A2DP stereo quality leaves a lot of HTC customers angry. Too bad the Herald does not improve on this yet. Looking forward to the O2 Flame now, even if Quanta produces it...

Skype on HTC Herald (Dopod C800)
Dear all,
Have anyone actually tried skype on HTC Herald ?
I need to double confirm that HTC Herald is not able to
handle skype properly, so I will have to go for HTC Hermes instead. Basically I love every review on the Herald
except on the problem with skype.
Pls advise.
Thanks.

Hi,
I am also planning to order the Herald.
Great device in my opinion. The only disavantage is indeed the processor.
But if you overclock the processor to 240mhz, skype will work, i guess.
The HTC 9100 has the same processor and some people already reported skype succesfully working after overclocking tot 240 Mhz.
Am i correct ?
regards,
Dieter.

Can you tell me if the Herald has a low Wi-fi reception, like the Hermes? Thank you.

Hi Frankie_R,
you mean that the Hermes actually weak WIFI issue ?
will that affect the voice quality when using SKYPE ?
Hi ddv,
I have a review in local newspaper that the device is working properly on Skype without overclocking.
Not sure how true.
Unless the new 200MHz Processor is very efficient, I
seriously doubt it can handle skype with acceptable
voice quality even at 240Mhz overclocking.
Of couse, I wouls prefer to wait for actual
experience feedback.
At the mean time, I can still wait for the
ETEN M700 to come out.
Thanks for reading

sylvester_k said:
Hi Frankie_R,
you mean that the Hermes actually weak WIFI issue?
will that affect the voice quality when using SKYPE ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the signal isn't too weak (but the Hermes has a low reception, so you must be not too far away from the source) Skype will work without any problem.

Is the Blue Angel worth it?

Hi BA owners,
I have a chance to buy a BA in excellent condition for a rediculous price. I have checked the specs on it and with the large ram and 400mhz processor, it would seem to me to be an upgrade from my Wizard, which only has a 200mhz processor and 64mb of ram. I am counting on some input from you guys in this forum to steer me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!

Do it
I will be honest with you. It has no comparison with the Wizard. My wife has one and it runs out of resources more often than not. Don't get me wrong though, it is a great pda phone. However, the BA packs a lot of power inside, and as you may have seen it is upgradeable .
I have had mine for almost 3 years now and has been through 2 heavy manufacturing plants. Other than the stylus getting lost 57,000 times, I do not have any complains about it.
Besides, with this kind of support (xda-devs), short of you bricking it, there are very few issues that you might encounter and not be able to fix. I hope my 2 cents will help you make the right decision.
All in all... Just Do It!!!!

it's also a generation or 2 older then wizards

I love my BA. My curiosity was perked when I saw an ad for the Touch so I checked it out at the local store. I was considering buying one, then I found this site, and the wonderful WM6 ROMs. By updating from WM2003 to WM6 I have decided that with the speed of the CPU and the amount of RAM on this that I would be happier with this than a new, smaller, slower unit. Sure it has some quirks, but mine has been through hell. It has been dropped from waist high several times and has loads of dents in the metal body (something the newer ones don't even have as plastic is lighter and more importantly cheaper). I have used a screen protector for the entire 3 years I have owned it so there is no damage there. I am even still happily using the original battery with no problems.
The following is absolutely not an all inclusive list.
Pros:
large screen
fast CPU
large RAM
durable
time tested and proven by thousands of owners
Cons:
device was never intended to be used this long (WM5/WM6)
bluetooth sucks hard (no range)
tiny ROM (32 MB)
cannot use "all" SD cards (SDHC)
new phones are smaller and lighter
I hope this helps.
P.S. I have seen a phone I would replace my BA with if it ever makes it to market. The Pi Phone from deeda.com looks so cool.

Pros:
large screen
fast CPU
large RAM
durable
time tested and proven by thousands of owners
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a lot of hardware keys (not keyboard)
no CID lock
safe to upgrade (it is difficult to brick)
Cons:
device was never intended to be used this long (WM5/WM6)
bluetooth sucks hard (no range)
tiny ROM (32 MB)
cannot use "all" SD cards (SDHC)
new phones are smaller and lighter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no support (only hacked ROMs from xda-developers)
it is easy to damage the case
problems with stylus
slider slacks
keyboard could be better
some permanent problems with non official ROMs (random power on when bluetooth is active)

baniaczek said:
a lot of hardware keys (not keyboard)
no CID lock
safe to upgrade (it is difficult to brick)
no support (only hacked ROMs from xda-developers)
it is easy to damage the case
problems with stylus
slider slacks
keyboard could be better
some permanent problems with non official ROMs (random power on when bluetooth is active)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with all these....
just one opinion with the random power on when BT is active, i dont have a problem with it anymore....
if anyone hasnt found out.... use S2U2 from A_C and from settings:
set this parameter:
LOCK WHEN DEVICE WAKES UP: ON
ON BATTERY POWER: POWER OFF in __ -> 5 S - this is the minimum allowed.
What this does is when BA wakes up randomly, S2U2 will run, and after 5 second it turns OFF - i.e. save your battery power and save the BA from accidental button pressing.
For me this is the greatest work around for BT issue and I have my BT ON 24/7
Hope this helps

if anyone hasnt found out.... use S2U2 from A_C and from settings:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it is only workaround. Error still exists.

Point of interest with the BT power on issue. My experience is that if my BA is sitting on the desk powered off with BT on it stays off, but if I pick it up and walk around the "office" it wakes up. I believe it is waking up upon discovering another device. I have not proven this to my satisfaction as of yet, but so far all of my random tests seem to concur. Not that this provides any useable solution as of yet, it is just my observations being put into print.

baniaczek said:
But it is only workaround. Error still exists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes dude, thats what I have written up there... a wokaround, nevertheless, the greatest workaround I could come up with...
with this, the battery would last as long as if BT is off since when it turns on, it only last for 5 sec before it turns off again...
For me, this problem becomes non-existent now... thats all i am trying to pass on
Btw, Baniaczek, how come you dont release anymore BA roms? I would definitely give it a try if you ever release one again

OT!!
Hi baniaczek. Great to have you back!

I am now running a Kaiser, before that a Hermes, before that a Wizard. So I've used them all. I currently use my Kaiser for business, but at home I use my BA. The BA screen is bigger and it works very well. I'm running Helmi's WM6 and his using his Broadcom BT Stack. I'm also using Radio ROM 1.15.
The Wizard is a better phone. If I were you I'd buy a Hermes or Wizard. They are better phones.
The BA is great as a secondary or backup device. I keep it to browse the web at home using WiFi. The larger screen is very nice. I just got it set up to watch YouTube videos. It's great using WiFi but it only has GPRS for web browsing using your wireless carrier. The Wizard has Edge which is much better.
If I had limited funds and didn't want a contract, I'd buy a Hermes (TyTN) on ebay new for about $350.00. Even if you're on an Edge network (I.e, no UMTS or HSDPA), the Hermes runs better than the Wizard because of the Hermes 400 Mhz processor. I use Pandora's Naked ROM and added just the apps. I want. It works very fast. My wife is now using it.
Hope this helps.

joseph.sapri said:
Btw, Baniaczek, how come you dont release anymore BA roms? I would definitely give it a try if you ever release one again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... I still remembered ur .NET CF2 in WM5 ROM was great! I used it until the release of WM6.
Any plan to cook a tweaked WM6 ROM?
Anth

Nice to read those words. I'm finishing two large projects (non PDA at all), and probably will be back.

Thanks
Thank you all for your replies. I think after reading these posts, I'll stick with the wizard for awhile longer. I would like the larger storage and faster processor, but from what I've read here and reading through many of the BA threads, I think the wizard, with its obvious limitations, is a more stable device, especially running wm6. Maybe I'm wrong, if so, tell me more.

kcguy said:
Thank you all for your replies. I think after reading these posts, I'll stick with the wizard for awhile longer. I would like the larger storage and faster processor, but from what I've read here and reading through many of the BA threads, I think the wizard, with its obvious limitations, is a more stable device, especially running wm6. Maybe I'm wrong, if so, tell me more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What was the price you were getting the BA for and can I buy it?

Friend of mine has a wizard that crashes more often then my BA >.> gues its the way you handle the device.. once you tweaked it out the BA solid.
Only thing left on my wishlist currently is new battery(2400mah) and a gps unit.. and both are shipped and should arrive shortly

I have a uni and a ba. The uni has better keyboard, sharper screen and faster processor. But how the gurus were able to pack the wm6 rom into the 32mb rom and still leave me with 50mb of storage and 109mb of program memory is simply wondrous. The result is that I am able to handle a lot more on the ba than the uni and it is really very stable.

Changed my mind
OK, after much apprehension about this, mainly because I thought the phone might be hot, I went ahead and bought the Blue Angel, new, in the box, never been used. I won't tell what I paid for it, because you wouldn't believe it. Apparently this friend of a friend happened onto 3 new phones at an auction somewhere and now has sold all three. Now, since I'll have the phone in a couple of days, I need you guys to point me to the best wm6 rom for this phone, if you wouldn't mind. I'm anxious to see what it's like to have some processing power and enough memory to actually have more than 1 or 2 programs running at the same time, with (hopefully) no hangs. Thanks for your attention guys! BTW the specs on this one says it has 64mb flash rom, but on your posts, I've only seen 32mb. Is this true?

it's 32mb for the flash rom only, hence space for the the OS Rom.
that's what makes our BA lean and mean. the excess are discarded to be jampacked into that 32mb muscle.
it's bigger actually when you have booted it up to install some applications.
try and familiarize yourself to your new pal BA by the wiki
check out xplode's latest rom. there's a sticky thread in this forum. most recommended.
regards

Rudegar said:
it's also a generation or 2 older then wizards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do not be kid, lol.
omap? samsung? htc?
pure xscaler power - that's pda essence, not smartphonelike **** with touch moronism.
and stop killing pda's htc/iphone fans.

Do I Get A Touch Dual? (ex-Kaiser user)

Hi All,
Just wondering what the collective thoughts are of our Niki users...
My Kaiser is now on ebay, as I've lost my patience with it. So the search is on for a replacement WM6 device.
I've fallen back to my old original Touch (elf) and am really enjoying using the device again. Not physical input mechanism bugs me, so the Dual seemed like a good upgrade.
But some of the bugs posted on this forum have put me off. I know I could Hard SPL the device when I get it and flash Tom Codon's rom, which would solve some problems, but I want to try to get out of the rom flashing nightmare that owning a Kaiser's become.
Any thoughts appreciated. Are you all still in love with your Touch Duals? Or should I avoid...?
Cheers.

I've got both and the niki is great (it has become my primary device) . The form factor is well thought out and with Tom Codons rom on it's an awesome device.
I miss the kaisers qwerty keyboard for texting sometimes but i think thats just because i'm getting used to t9 again.
I would say get one and try it for the weeks grace you get from most places and make up your own mind.
I bet you don't return it.

... i have my p5520 for almost one month and i love it.
things i am wondering :
1.) slider mechanism - will there be spareparts available in case mechanism gets weak due to heavy use ?
2.) scratched touch surface - on my old trinity there was space enough to put some display protection things on it .. on the nike touch surface is flat to the housing - so any display protection will be higher than the housing of the device.
3.) wifi and gps
at the end of the day i am sure that all software related things will be solved sooner or later ..
my 2 cents
cheers

suppose this might be helpful
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=361548

I came from a hermes to a touch dual and have no complaints at all - have had no faults on software or hardware - just miss the keyboard - takes a while to get used to typing a long email.

I came from a Hermes to a touch dual as well.
As man its fantastic. Really really happy with it so far miss the keyboard but the Xt9 is pretty good and you get used to it pretty quickly would recommend it any day.
Of course some tweaks had to be done first I would recommend the battery tweak on this forum as it really works
I have a mini review on here for my first 72 hrs of use have a read username same as here
http://www.modaco.com/content-page/262284/T-Mobile-to-launch-Touch-Dual-as-Touch-Plus/page/80/
Jeremy

Just moved from hermes to niki too. Dont miss the wifi at all, didnt realise until i changed how little I used it. the processor seems much fatser with the tomtom6 than on the old unit and the form factor is just so much more usable. The only thing I miss is an ok button but its really not that big an issue

I am also looking at giving up my vario2 for one of these and I never use my wifi now I have unlimited data on my tarif - there is not much point - the difference in speed is minimal and I can't be bothered switching about all the time. I leave the wifi off.
I was wondering the same about the keys though. I popped into a shop today to have a feel of the phone in real life and teh keys felt very flimsy - like they wouldnt survie a heavy use and 18 month contract.

mobilecat said:
I am also looking at giving up my vario2 for one of these and I never use my wifi now I have unlimited data on my tarif - there is not much point - the difference in speed is minimal and I can't be bothered switching about all the time. I leave the wifi off.
I was wondering the same about the keys though. I popped into a shop today to have a feel of the phone in real life and teh keys felt very flimsy - like they wouldnt survie a heavy use and 18 month contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hardly ever use the slide out pad to be honest i use the touch on screen pad which has taken a while to get used to but have mastered it using 1 thumb - but apart from all that a great device makes a big difference not rushing around searching for a usb or a charger like i used to with my hermes and performing numerous soft resets.

ekksman said:
I hardly ever use the slide out pad to be honest i use the touch on screen pad which has taken a while to get used to but have mastered it using 1 thumb - but apart from all that a great device makes a big difference not rushing around searching for a usb or a charger like i used to with my hermes and performing numerous soft resets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree - this is the most stable windows mobile platform I have ever had (been using windows CE in some version or other for 10 years\)
The key pad is pretty robust and seems much more usable than the rather temperamental pad on my hermes. All round really impressed