Related
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!
It has been really interesting over the months watching comments on this forum on the uses for the Universal. Those who wanted a top of the range phone generally seem to be dissapointed, and who blames them for that. Those looking for a games machine really should look elsewhere. For a pocket PC, and lets face it that is what this is it is a pretty decent job.
From my own point of view I have lots of gadgets and use each for what it is good at. I spend 80% of my time either in the car, home or office. At each location i have:
Universal
IBM Think pad T42p
Motorola Razor
And with these tools i can do anything anywhere. No hassles. If i need to get on to a network and fix something in a hurry the universal has generally finished the job before the laptop has even fired up Win XP. If I need to make a call and i am in the street i use the Razor. If i am in the office or car and need to call another cell phone i use the universal on handsfree. Personally i am very happy with this set up.
I also travel extensivly. I always carry my PSP with me to play games and take a selection of dvd to play on my laptop. I have a sd card reader on my IBM so i could get into ripping dvd's to play on the TCMP player but really never saw the point of this.
So generally i am very happy with the set up. It works for me.
Would i walk down the street making calls on the Universal..... No.
Would i play games on it.... sure but not graphics type. Something like Suduko would be good.
Would I watch movies on it.... one day, but i am too lazy to rip the films, I have over 2,000 dvd at home so i just prefer to take the disc with me. I keep promising to get a decent media server at home and start to rip all of these oin to it and stream them around the house. But where do you start with 2,000 titles.
Would I change things in Universal version 2 youre damn right.
Better fitting stylus
ozVGA as standard
Better made plastics
More memory- but personally this has never caused me any problems.
Speed up the phone answering
My set up-
T- Mobile MDA Pro
R 1.00.02
G 42.33.P8
D 1.12.42 WWE
1GB SD Card x 2
Web and walk 400 inc 40 mb data & 400 mins @ £23per month for 12 months and £46 for 6 months.
ozVGA
VJBig phone
VJ fullscreen TSC
Magic Button
Resco Explorer
Resco Photo
TCMP
Agile Messenger
Cambridge vxUtil & vxHpc
Stability for me is really good. I just dont seem to have issues. But i do a soft reboot every morning before i start the day. But am i just lucky or am I doing something wrong here, as i seem to be missing the dropdead and die feature!!
Next on my list Bluetooth sat nav. I would be greatful for an honest apraisal of the experience of others here. I plan to buy the Brodit active holder and sat nav in about 2 weeks time just really waiting to get some decent views on the best sat nav before commiting I still use navman on my old compaq ipaq 3700.
Finally I have to say without this forum I would be very disspointed with the Universal. I have learned lots form you guys over the months, I just hope that Microsoft and HTC are monitoring this forum and listening as much as I have been. XDA-Developers.com + MS + HTC rocks. You guys did the bits that they forgot!!
Views very welcome
Charlie
Things that I use:
- Sony TX1XP/XP, it has a 6.5 hr battery life, only weighs 1.25KG
- XDA Exec, used as a tablet/PDA (plus spare battery!)
- PSP, for watching videos (rented UMDs)
- 3G Razr (v3x), fantastic phone with superb call quality and rock solid BT, becoming my main phone as I find the communications capability of the Universal to be below par
Got a feeling when the SE P990 is released I may retire my Universal assuming there is good PIM s/w available for UIQ3. I find the ergonomics of the Universal and the need to use the PowerSave option a pain.
Charlie VOIP said:
Finally I have to say without this forum I would be very disspointed with the Universal. I have learned lots form you guys over the months, I just hope that Microsoft and HTC are monitoring this forum and listening as much as I have been. XDA-Developers.com + MS + HTC rocks. You guys did the bits that they forgot!!
Charlie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you think that they deserved it? :wink:
Charlie VOIP said:
Would i walk down the street making calls on the Universal..... No.
Charlie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understnad and agree with you on most of the points, except your above quoted line ??
may i know why you cannot make call with universal in streets ?? is it due to security reasons .. as you are afraid someone may snatch it from you
I agree with most of the first post here. I primarily use my universal as a notebook replacement + portable video and audio device. When out and about, I use the phone features with a BT headset and M$ VC mainly because - yes - I think there is arisk of someone snatching it - it's so unusual.
I really do feel though thatif you are not going to make extensive use of the keyboard (i.e need to use it as a mini notebook) the it is not for you.
my universal if everything to me. sure i have a laptop at work, and two spare laptops at home, but these are used more in a work and professional capacity.
my phone runs beautifully, rings on the second ring. i have extended the ring period to 30 seconds in case its in the bag or otherwise, never ever missed a call.
use a bluetooth headset, works perfectly everytime.
i have a 1 gig storage card, and lots of music on it, have never made it to the end of the playlist.
i play 1 game, cause between work, a 2 yr old, a 3 yr old, a good looking wife that wants lots of servicing, and of course my phone and this site, who's got time for games....
i use my universal everyday for:
1. PDA / PIM manager for my calendar, tasks and contacts. dont bother with email, I have six accounts and cant keep up with them all anyway.
2. Music player
3. Camera and portable video camera for emailing videos to my parents 10,000km away, and they love it, they get to see the kids in motion everyday, not just a static picture
4. I use word and excel, and the pdf viewer to review various attachments, letters, correspondance
5. WIFI everyday for surfing, and managing my other 5 email accounts (none work)
6. Recording notes and quick messages while driving along day dreaming and suddenly remember or record information on a sign that I need to get straight away and dont want to write it down
7. i use it as my full time mobile phone, but i dont have many friends, and they dont find a need to pay mobile phone call costs to communicate, we have text and 6 email accounts... but I do use it whilst driving or out of the office, and have no problem holding the brick to my ear, my hands are so big its almost obscured by my hands anyway. i have more of a laugh looking at these big blokes using these dinky little phones that almost disappear between the fingers
8. size isnt everything, but bigger is better, just ask my wife
9. i also use a lot of the other inbuilt features such as ZIP and Bluetooth and just about all features on the phone
There is no way that I would be buying another phone, another camera, another game machine.
I have everything in one, it runs absoloutely perfectly, all day, every day, never fails, never crashes, and does everything that I want.
I refused to by a PDA until they came with a built in phone, so I got the XDAII. Sold that for this, and despite the differences in memory, have never looked back.
I use SPB PP (Beta), SPB Diary, SPB Weather, SPB Backup (beta), Resco Explorer, MS Reader, MSVC, and a **** load of other stuff installed to the 1Gig memory card.
Can I my satisfaction and wonder at such a brilliant multifunctional well built machine...
To look at your SatNav part, I use TomTom as the software, a Holox BT GPS unit and also have the Brodit Active mountinstalled in my car, and thus far this setup has done everything I need it to
simon_darley said:
a good looking wife that wants lots of servicing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
may be in future new models of HTC also perfom this function for you :lol:
I use my universal exclusively. I dont find any of the problems with weight that so many others seem to. I dont think the universal is particularly big either. Back when cell phones first came out, they were all this size and didnt have any nice 640x480 VGA screens. :lol:
You see sub ten year old girls these days running around with phones! If they can hold those without a problem, I dont see why I cant hold a universal. :shock:
Anyway, as far as games go, for me windows PDAs have the best games. I like strategy games the most, and some of my favorites work perfectly. Transport Tycoon is always fun, and OpenTTD keeps adding on new features. Pocket UFO - need I say more? As far as RPGs go, SNES and PSX RPGs are the best out there, and you can run them with emulators! (Morphgear for SNES, http://www.fpsece.net/ for PSX)
Using TCPMP you can run 640x480 XVID movies too, which look like a dream and are higher res than the PSPs movies.
Now all I need to do is getting a working DOS emulator so I can play Fallout DOS version! Does anybody know of any DOS emulators that work?
Nobody's mentioned reading books on your Universal.
Reading books on the gorgeous VGA screen is fantastic, and the unique ability for the phone to morph into different shapes makes it possible to put it into any comfortable position.
Currently using an MPV2000, but M5000 (universal) arriving on Monday.
Being a motorcyclist I don't have room for a laptop, 15 dvds, 2 phones, an i-pod, a PSP, a couple of books etc etc etc.
But a phone/pda that does all of that and more? Gimme!!
What I find tragic is how this thread has transgressed into a "Look at what electronics I own, aren't I cool" thread.
I own an Exec and a laptop plus other devices which both have their benefits in varying scenarios but why brag about it?
stickeresq said:
What I find tragic is how this thread has transgressed into a "Look at what electronics I own, aren't I cool" thread.
I own an Exec and a laptop plus other devices which both have their benefits in varying scenarios but why brag about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know about that, thats how the thread started!
It has, however, transgressed into a "Look at how cool my Universal is!" :lol:
Not so sure about the brag bit I was really trying to say that there are many devices that can perform some of the functions of the Univrersal. But many of these do the job better in some situations, ie where you are at home in the office etc. But was keen to explore how others are using the device. What is interesting is everyone uses it in different ways. What is an acceptable quality sacrifice for one person is not for another.
For me the combination of connectivitiy capabilities and size are a major advantage for network monitoring and management. But many other people say they cannot really work on such a small device, for them they do not provide 24 hour / 7 day a week cover so the issue of a pc in the pocket as it were is not relevant for them. Therefore the small screen sacrifice is not worth it for them. If you get my drift.
So i really think this is a cross between how coll my universal is and 1001 ways to use a Universal.
Charlie
My Universal serves as my PDA, refernce books, infusion calculator, conversion calculator, DVD player, MP3 Player, weather reporter, instant internet access for email and other stuff, game box, and phone.
@stickeresq
it is useful to see how people use the Universal in combination with other devices. I cannot use any PDA for video after using a Sony PSP and given that ultraportable laptops can run for well over 3 to 4 hours for me shows the battery life of the Universal is not a plus point. Also, for me, having used a Mototola cellphone (wont mention the model!) for a week I have now decided the phone functions of the Universal are not "industrial strength" and therefore I will be using my Exec as a PDA, mini tablet and eBook reader.
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.
I'm currently using a T-Mobile MDA Vario (HTC Wizard), and as my contract is up for renewal soon, I am wondering what phone to get next.
Originally I had my mind set on the Vario 2 (Hermes), but I'm getting second thoughts since I read about the new Nokia N95. It seems to pack a lot of features, most impressively integrated gps and a lot of maps. First impressions seem to indicate that it runs very smoothly (not always the case with windows mobile) and gps works well. It's also got wifi and fast internet browsing. On the other hand, not sure if symbian is any good (to sync with pc etc), and if I'll be able to install applications on it like a pocket pc (although I don't install much). More importantly, I'd have to live without a full keyboard and touch screen (but the device is therefore thinner).
Can anyone give me some advice on how good/bad your experience with the Hermes has been (or even with the N95 if you've used it or heard anything about it).
Thanks.
kkhalil76 said:
I'm currently using a T-Mobile MDA Vario (HTC Wizard), and as my contract is up for renewal soon, I am wondering what phone to get next.
Originally I had my mind set on the Vario 2 (Hermes), but I'm getting second thoughts since I read about the new Nokia N95. It seems to pack a lot of features, most impressively integrated gps and a lot of maps. First impressions seem to indicate that it runs very smoothly (not always the case with windows mobile) and gps works well. It's also got wifi and fast internet browsing. On the other hand, not sure if symbian is any good (to sync with pc etc), and if I'll be able to install applications on it like a pocket pc (although I don't install much). More importantly, I'd have to live without a full keyboard and touch screen (but the device is therefore thinner).
Can anyone give me some advice on how good/bad your experience with the Hermes has been (or even with the N95 if you've used it or heard anything about it).
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all comes down to the touchscreen... if you can live without it then go for the N95, if not then the Hermes is the way to go... but you must also know that the N95 isnt Tri-band UMTS, so if you were to goto another country with uses a different band for UMTS then you wont have access for it... Where as the Hermes supports 850, 1900 & 2100mhz WCDMA Bands
Thanks. I also read that the N95's build quality isn't so great, and that talk time is only a little over 2 hours (vs. a little over 4 for the hermes)!
kkhalil76 said:
Thanks. I also read that the N95's build quality isn't so great, and that talk time is only a little over 2 hours (vs. a little over 4 for the hermes)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well there you go... you just answered your own question... mind you the build quality on the hermes isnt that much better.... they are all plastic...
Build quality is not related to just the materials of the housing but also how well everything fits together. Look at the SE P990i: very nice looking phone but squeaks and cracks when you're holding it.
Dunno about the N95, but my previous phone was a Nokia 6260 (S60 2.x).
I personally found the Symbian system more stable and more feature-advanced than the Windows Mobile OS. Some examples: choosing the account via which emails are sent is not possible in Outlook Mobile, synchronizing with Nokia PC Suite is robuster (and supports for instance SMS typing on PC), native support for Java midlets (Opera Mini!), ...
I personally went for the Hermes because of the keyboard: a GPS is easily added with bluetooth, but a keyboard that works handheld is not easily added; and also because I needed Windows Mobile for one application I wanted (PocketFMS).
But it is difficult finding a balance between what you need, want and like.
Jörg
Well I think my mind's made up, can't go back to a tiny keypad after having used a full keyboard for so long, so I guess it's the hermes after all. Also the battery life is a big issue for me, I thought the hermes wasn't great, but the Nokia is awful...
As far as the battery is concerned: I manage to have the Hermes running for about 4-5 days (not frequently making calls, but frequently connecting via gprs/umts) or 2-3 days (when playing back .wma through BT headset).
Jörg
walshieau said:
It all comes down to the touchscreen... if you can live without it then go for the N95, if not then the Hermes is the way to go... but you must also know that the N95 isnt Tri-band UMTS, so if you were to goto another country with uses a different band for UMTS then you wont have access for it... Where as the Hermes supports 850, 1900 & 2100mhz WCDMA Bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How often does one go to other country and really use a different UMTS band or UMTS at all?
And what goes for the build quality, I can honestly say that N95 is better after owning a hermes for about 6 months now.
But the hermes beats it with the touch screen and keyboard, and has better software support in its own special way, N95 has better phoning software because the main idea is to use it as a phone and the OS is tailored that way. Hermes in other hand is a phone pda hybrid.
And personally as a software developer i can honestly say that symbian os is more crap that you guys could imagine ;D
And embedded linux seems to keep pushing it's way quite hard. Many companies I know, started to look into that matter.. (won't list any names here).
[EDIT]
The battery seems to be quite good for Hermes considering the fact that it's a PDA like phone at has alot of features.
And the more I use Hermes, the more conviced I get with it, it just is a damn good device
And you guys should try Route66 Navigate 7 for Pocket PC. It's the damn best GPS software I ever used
Doesn't lag at all (this is what really impressed me), is VERY accurate even in this little town I live in, very good POI information (TMC to) etc.
I tested alot of GPS software and this is just the best atm.
I have a bluetooth GPS, it's very small and has a neck collar
[/EDIT]
My Jasjam with Direct Push on all day (50 e-mails sent and received) and checking the news for 20 minutes, a game of chess for 15 minutes, using it as a sat nav for 30 minutes and 1 hour on the phone it still has 60% battery left at the end of the day. I would recommend the Hermes over the N95 any day.
What about the simple fact that one has a keyboard and the other one does not? Are you expecting to do any typing?
agovinoveritas said:
What about the simple fact that one has a keyboard and the other one does not? Are you expecting to do any typing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not that simple... look at the 3G bands for example... for me anyway im in australia where there is 850Mhz and 2100Mhz 3G Bands... where the N95 only supports 2100Mhz....
N95 for sure. The touch-screen of the hermes sucks anyways, and yes, this is coming for a Hermes owner.
xpimperx said:
N95 for sure. The touch-screen of the hermes sucks anyways, and yes, this is coming for a Hermes owner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather have a sucky touchscreen than no touchscreen. FWIW, I think the screen on the Hermes is just fine.
Having to enter all my emails with the dpad or number pad is just nothing something I'd ever consider anno 2007.
I was a previous Nokia man through and through until the N80. The battery life and bugs made it unusuable, so I sold it and bought a Hermes. I've never looked back!
With the improved Radio 1.40 I now get around 3-4 days standby. You'll be lucky to get 3-4 HOURS from an N80 or N95 (reviews seem to suggest they still haven't learnt their lesson from poor battery life with the N95 either)
I won't touch Nokia again until they sort out the appalling battery life of their new phones. What's the point of putting all these neat features in a phone if you have to leave it almost permanently plugged into the mains?
N95 vs Hermes
Well, I've got both the Hermes and the N95... I'm probably going to end up selling one or the other... but I have the same choice to make - which one to keep, and I have to say, it's a hard choice.
The main factors for me are:
Battery life - everyone is talking about this, but the Nokia N95 battery life is abysmal. You really need to take your charger with you anywhere you go with it. Hermes battery life is not great, but at least you can use it for half to one day without it running out of battery! Also, the Hermes charges off USB, so when you use it as a computer modem, it charges at the same time!
Software & touchscreen - undoubtedly way better on the Hermes - push email, messenger, internet explorer, Cleartype, it all just works - N95 is flaky in places and the interface / software is just not up to the hardware. You have to pay extra for word, excel, push email, messenger, etc (well if you want any half-reasonable solution) and they don't work as well as WM5/6 even when you do pay! Also, the community support and the **ahem** hacked software is WAY WAY better for Windows Mobile.
Hardware - Nokia is way better for this - N95 has a beautiful camera, built in GPS, is smaller, lighter and prettier than the Hermes and has a 3.5mm jack socket built in (no adapter). But - no keyboard, no touchscreen and NO ROLL-WHEEL! This gets really annoying on the N95 for reading/replying to emails when you've used the Hermes.
So: The question really is - what will you use the device for? Phone? N95. Emails? Then definitely Hermes. Camera? N95. MSN Messenger? Hermes. Portable GPS? N95 (Hermes is better for car GPS when paired with a decent SiRF Star III GPS unit.) All of the above? AARRGH! Too difficult to decide. Neither is perfect - A smaller, thinner Hermes, with a 5MP camera, built in GPS, 640x480 resolution, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a nice-looking flat touchscreen that is flush with the casing WOULD be perfect... but we're going to have to wait for a while before that happens...
As 2007 draws to a close, I have - thanks in large part to the people here on this forum - got pretty much a perfect setup going. I thought I'd share it with you:
I use my Ameo mainly for organising my work and personal life (a Filofax replacement if you like). I upgraded to the X-Black WM6 rom provided by your goodselves and as a by-product had to unlock the beast with a well-known program also supplied here (programmer may be rude, but he is certainly talented). This enabled me to insert my work SIM and to fully utilse the exchange-based activesync provided from work.
- Work/personal life updates, sorted
- Work E-mail, sorted
I have set up my home e-mail as IMAP and the server there is configured to use dynamic dns. Home e-mail on the Ameo configured to use gmail as SMTP client, leaving it fully mobile.
- Home E-mail, sorted.
The Ameo is kind of clunky to use a a phone. Thanks to this forum I found the LG I-style to use as a handset (ebay) - by FAR the best option I have used so far
- Work/Home Phone, sorted
In the car I have Brodit holder wired in (using the much more elegant Dashmount bracket rather then the ungainly Brodit), giving me power and a great looking platform for GPS functionality. Also just installed is Blaupunkt radio with integrated bluetooth so I can utilise the phone "on the go". As I get in the car, turn off the LG I-style and the Blaupunkt connects in its place. Seemless.
- Car Phone, sorted
- GPS (car), sorted
For music on the move, I have an I-tec bluetooth/radio with some really decent earphones. When I am travelling listening to music, this can connect instead of the I-style, switching between music and phone calls
- Music/mobile Phone, sorted
And finally, in my airplane I have configured my Pilot knee-pad to use the magnetic points on the Ameo to hold it in place whilst I am flying.
- GPS (Aviation), sorted
So with all that in place, could it be better? Well I bought the Ameo in the first place due to screen size (for flying), so I am happy with that. The keyboard I love (ex Psion Netbook, so of course I would) and the ability to leave it aside when not required is great. The WM6 is a HUGE improvement in both speed and stability over the original ROM. The only thing I think I would alter is the micro-drive - would love to swap for SSD version to achieve lighter weight and speedier access time.
And what am I carrying? - well normally just the main unit (without k/board, slipped into inside pocket) plus the I-style hand set. In my briefcase is the I-tec and the headphones plus spare battery. Total weight around 400g and it will all fit into suit pockets without spoiling the cut (the beer-belly does that without any help)
Let me know if you have any thoughts for improvements. Either way, thanks for all your help, especially the talented ones (let me know if you appreciatee contributions as this sort of work should not go unpaid).
Have a great Christmas and a better 2008.
Robert
Thanks for the well-written info
This is a great post: helpful, informative, inspiring. Thanks for taking the time to give back to the community!
I might take a leaf out of your book and try some of your ideas. I have kept a bog standard Ameo from T-Mobile in the UK which I bought 6 months ago. I always wanted to try upgrading to WM6 but I haven't found anywhere that will walk me through step by step. I think you just convinced me.
The keyboard broke on my Ameo (now has poor connectivity) so I'm hoping to get a Bluetooth keyboard as a replacement for Christmas.
The microphone and ear buds also are a bit dodgy now - I bought a "Discovery 655 Bluetooth Headset" so I can make calls but I'm not too happy with it - I might get a "LG BLUETOOTH STYLE-i HBM-700 HEADSET" like you suggest.
I understand your reticence - I held back for many months before taking the plunge.
There are a few step-by-step guides to the upgrade (see here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=347240) and it is worthwhile taking a few lunch-times to run through the threads here on the site. Then when you have a full evening spare, go through methodically.
Good luck
Robert
Mrsums said:
As 2007 draws to a close, I have - thanks in large part to the people here on this forum - got pretty much a perfect setup going. I thought I'd share it with you:
I use my Ameo mainly for organising my work and personal life (a Filofax replacement if you like). I upgraded to the X-Black WM6 rom provided by your goodselves and as a by-product had to unlock the beast with a well-known program also supplied here (programmer may be rude, but he is certainly talented). This enabled me to insert my work SIM and to fully utilse the exchange-based activesync provided from work.
- Work/personal life updates, sorted
- Work E-mail, sorted
I have set up my home e-mail as IMAP and the server there is configured to use dynamic dns. Home e-mail on the Ameo configured to use gmail as SMTP client, leaving it fully mobile.
- Home E-mail, sorted.
The Ameo is kind of clunky to use a a phone. Thanks to this forum I found the LG I-style to use as a handset (ebay) - by FAR the best option I have used so far
- Work/Home Phone, sorted
In the car I have Brodit holder wired in (using the much more elegant Dashmount bracket rather then the ungainly Brodit), giving me power and a great looking platform for GPS functionality. Also just installed is Blaupunkt radio with integrated bluetooth so I can utilise the phone "on the go". As I get in the car, turn off the LG I-style and the Blaupunkt connects in its place. Seemless.
- Car Phone, sorted
- GPS (car), sorted
For music on the move, I have an I-tec bluetooth/radio with some really decent earphones. When I am travelling listening to music, this can connect instead of the I-style, switching between music and phone calls
- Music/mobile Phone, sorted
And finally, in my airplane I have configured my Pilot knee-pad to use the magnetic points on the Ameo to hold it in place whilst I am flying.
- GPS (Aviation), sorted
So with all that in place, could it be better? Well I bought the Ameo in the first place due to screen size (for flying), so I am happy with that. The keyboard I love (ex Psion Netbook, so of course I would) and the ability to leave it aside when not required is great. The WM6 is a HUGE improvement in both speed and stability over the original ROM. The only thing I think I would alter is the micro-drive - would love to swap for SSD version to achieve lighter weight and speedier access time.
And what am I carrying? - well normally just the main unit (without k/board, slipped into inside pocket) plus the I-style hand set. In my briefcase is the I-tec and the headphones plus spare battery. Total weight around 400g and it will all fit into suit pockets without spoiling the cut (the beer-belly does that without any help)
Let me know if you have any thoughts for improvements. Either way, thanks for all your help, especially the talented ones (let me know if you appreciatee contributions as this sort of work should not go unpaid).
Have a great Christmas and a better 2008.
Robert
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
enjoy the phone and glad to hear another person is satisfied with this beast we call the athena.
It was kinda long fight but now i'm really satisfied with my Athena too.
The main reason for getting an Athena was the need to Remote Control of some Servers we got running under Windows and Linux. So i needed a device running Putty and Remote Desktop with UMTS speed.
A device with a Screen Resolution and Screen Size of the Athena is perfect for this.
When i got My Athena wich came as T-Mobile Ameo i was extremly disappointed with the T-Mobile WM5 running on it.
It was unstable, slow and nearly unusable for the things i really needed it to do.
So i tried the T-Mobile Upgrade to WM6 but still wasn't very pleased with it.
I decided to unlock the device and install the Athena Projekt Black WM6 ROM and it sorted out that running this ROM with RealVGA at the 128dpi setting made the Athena usable. It ran stable and with an acceptable speed but there was to much crap installed so i reinstalled the Athene Projekt ROM without the software in the EXTRom and finally had the device i wanted.
After setting up some extra Software like
- Navigon6
- Mort Player
- RemoteDesktop for WM6
- putty
- TCPMP
- HTC Home (the new one)
- Total Commander
- PocketVNC
- pBar
- Pocket CM (really stylish Contact Manager)
- PCM Keyboard (finally an usable OnScreen keyboard)
- SIM Display (really useful beacuse i use an Anlago DualSIM Adapter)
and some Registry Haking to get a German Keyboard Setting i had a really usable Device.
This setup runs for 8 weeks now. No Softreset since then, no SystemCrash.. just a really good working Device.
Usually i carry the Athena without Keyboard because the PCMKeyboard really works good and can be used with the fingers.
Only thing left is finding a good and usable Headset
If you know what to use it for, the Athena really rocks.