Database Users

size and build quality

how do you guy's live with the chunky size of the unit and is the build quality as bad as some reports ?
thank you

i am on my 4th mda
1st: crashed a lot and keyboard not quite set right into the frame - wireless manager button sticks up slightly
2nd: metal top plate offset and scratching my ear
3rd: loud creaky hinge with loud clicks
4th: camera fault - big white dot on photo's
on my 1st exec i have a misaligned keyboard as with mda 1, and minor camera pixel dropouts
i think build quality is pretty awful, and will keep* my exec and get the mda swapped out for a vario or something.
* might take it back and see if I can get a fully functional device from them, after all I paid 99 pounds for it :lol:

I had one MDA Pro and now I have an XDA Exe and both were/are excellent, great quality devices.
About the size - I had all the previous XDAs so I got used to the big phones already. I'm not using any bluetooth headsets, and I always carry it in my jeans back pocket , no problems at all for me.

I am on my first and only Jas Jar - the thing is brilliant- no problems at all. As for size, I always use mine with a BT headset and voice command when making or recieving a call, so no problem there either.

I am on my 3rd Jasjar. First was taken away by my boss. 2nd had an Arabic/English keyboard and did not like it. Now on 3rd unit for over 2 months. All had excellent build quality. No complaints from me whatsoever.
Kind Regards

Mine seems fine so far. Havent noticed any problems and im usually one for spotting things. Was worried about dead pixels but both my wizard and uni are clear as a bell.

i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.

I think you should look once again :wink:
There is a calculator in PROGRAMS
and the MSN Messenger is in POCKET MSN, first position from the top

lloydalikes said:
i find the entire flimsy plastic body of the MDA Pro to be quite a weak design. I put my first one in my pocket, jumped in the car, drove for an hour, took it out and the phone had been bent in my pocket slightly. No apparent external damage but the screen had a beautiful crack right through the middle.
At one of their shops they accused me of damaging the device myself, but fortunately the insurance paid out, even though I had to pay an excess. I have never had any problems with my XDA2 or my MDA3 and for this to happen within 5 days of actually getting the phone, I am not very confident it will last 18 months.
Furthermore I keep discovering pieces of software are not included - Messenger (which is a shame as always good for long journeys on a train) and most of all - Calculator - I can't believe it, not even the old basic one.
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No offense but why would you drive for an hour with an MDA Pro in your pocket. Surely glove box, dashboard, passenger seat or a passenger holding it for you would have been preferable.
To be fair you cant blame the design for that. If youve had it in your pocket and obviously bent it in some way, then the screen being damaged isnt beyond reason.
Its no good buying one of these devices and then expecting it to fit in a shirt pocket like it isnt there. Its a big phone, end of !
As ive said before, the design seems ok to me and its everything I have expected it to be so far. Maybe in months to come I might find one or two shortcomings but not so far.

Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...

rottie said:
Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
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Totally agree with that comment! Just swapped from an MDA Pro to an XDA Exec and it actually seems smaller. I guess what they say about black being more slimming is true

rottie said:
Maybe my opinion will sound odd to most of you, but I really find Wizard much more "bulky" looking than the Universal. This thing is so thick!!! Even if overall in size the Universal is bigger, it's got excellent proportions and it just "looks the bollocks!!" as my friend said :wink: Of course I'm talking about the XDA Exec which for me looks way better than M5000 or MDA Pro...
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Couldn't agree more, I think the Wizard looks FAR bulkier, yet because it's a bit smaller and traditionally-XDA style, people say THAT's the smaller of that and the Exec.
The Wizard is a good phone, admittedly. However, a lot of excess plastic if you ask me.
And black is the ONLY colour for the Universal! hehe
Ant

I have the Universal and the wife has the Wizard, I am costantly amazed at what both devices are capable of. When using my Universal in the car it sits on the dash with the four rubber feet, screen open and on display, works and looks fantastic. I love the larger screen on the Universal and also like the 3g support. As for size I prefer the Wizard, It just feels more comfy to hold and use like a phone, I still feel weird holding the Universal to my ear, I don't use a BT headset yet, keep trying to find a surgery that can give me a bluetooth implant behind my ear :shock: I actually find myself using the keyboard on my Universal less and less now, and opting to leave it screen out and use the onscreen keyboard. The twist is nice but I am sure its is already getting slack. I guess my ideal device would be a hybrid of the two, wishfull thinking and totally over the top but, same size as the wizard, same screen as the universal and with 3g but the screen, imagine opening a wizard with the base being thicker than the screen and as you slide it open the screen tilts up and can rotate so its perpendicular to the keyboard so it looks like the universal, keep going and it ends up facing the keyboard and would close back down screen facing in, no need to twist the screen about a single swivel anymore.
I may even knock up a short avi so you can see it in action.
Regards

I am on the whole , pretty happy with my Exec
The only thing that bothers me is that it seems (only very slightly) slower than my old Magician !
I have had to learn how to answer calls on it (i.e if it rings while it is closed then LEAVE IT CLOSED TO ANSWER IT ! ) Which leads me to my only real gripe - No way of seeing who is calling with the clamshell closed
As for the size thing - anyone who buys one of these knows exactly what they are buying into - I personally have no problem with big phones wouldn't want the Exec any smaller

I've probably said it too many times... I love my phone! in spite and despite of...
When you love something that much, you get to love every bit of it.. bulky size and all. I still look sheepish when answering a call with a brick in my ear but I glow when all my officemates jot their notes on a paper while I just type it on my dopod900.
I still go berserk when the ringtone suddenly changes to another despite my change in the registry but I think I can live with going to settings and all..
So there, Im gonna borrow McDonald's slogan and say "Im Lovin' It!"

I do not see any problem with the size and build of the Uni.
I have the first XDA for 3 years or so, and now I use both the Uni and the XDA. Because I have been using the XDA so long, I do not have any problem with the Uni. They are both relatively about the same size and weight and same usage. Nobody laughes at me when I hold the big phone next to my ear, because I have done that for years with my XDA.
I laugh at myself when I noticed how funny its when having a bug (BT headset) in my ear now.
Overall I really like the Uni though it still cannot replace my XDA fully in certain environment where I do not want to take the risk of having the Uni handles the job. But in office and home, Uni is perfect.
Software wise, when the XDA came out, the software loaded were really buggy, it took years before finally everything became really stable, so with that matter of fact, I could accept Uni at its right now with hope it will be close to 100% perfect in the near future.

jasjar with no build or quality problems, and I love everything except the name. (I'm still planning to get around to using that sugar cube.)

I'm pretty impressed by the overal feel of my Qtek. The plastic feels very strong, it doesn't look or feel like a cheap plactic box. The rotating hinge works flawlessly, but when I put my screen in laptop modus, there is a very minimal play. But I guess this is normal? Can anyone confirm!?

Any other clamshell devices???

Does anyone have any news as to any clamshell device that can replace our Universal?
What happened to the IMate Ultimate 7150 or the HTC OMNI?
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Hope you are enjoying your Fujitsu U810
imate 7150 was cancelled long ago. Also, I m not sure about this news but I guess Omni too is cancelled.
On the brigther side, if you are interested in VGA, Athena II will be lauching this year. It has been confirmed by HTC

how big is it?the athena 2?

kdskamal said:
Hope you are enjoying your Fujitsu U810
imate 7150 was cancelled long ago. Also, I m not sure about this news but I guess Omni too is cancelled.
On the brigther side, if you are interested in VGA, Athena II will be lauching this year. It has been confirmed by HTC
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Thanks for the response. Sad to hear that. I'll do some searching about the Athena II.
YES, I am enjoying my Fujitsu U810. I even ordered the 2 cell battery to make it even smaller. The 4 cell battery is just too big and ugly as it sticks out on the back.
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Im hoping to replace my uni too.... it's been 3 years now... I'm thinking of the HTC Advantage. What do you think? It's not your typical clamshell but I think it's the nearest to our uni, right?

I was very close to purchasing the advantage from compusa (cc declined - ouch!). I'm glad I didn't.
Spec/feature wise the advantage is amazing. The screen is huge and operating it is a breeze. I just don't think htc got their market right. It's just too big and difficult to carry around. I would think that the max size for a device like this is to fit in your front pants pocket - GOOD LUCK! I'd think women might be the only market for this device as they can fit it in their purse (but what woman that actually wants a device like this owns a purse? ).
I think the uni is fine for my needs, but there's only 4 things that I'd really like out of it:
- Better battery life. This shouldn't be difficult with updates in battery tech from the last 3 years. It's not very reasonable to expect people to carry around extra 1800mah batteries when they're just going out for a 9-5er.
- Soft key buttons + shortcut keys in tablet view. It's just too inconvenient using tablet mode without these keys, hence the fact that I don't ever use this mode on the uni.
- Larger memory. Preferably a microdrive included. What were they thinking only including 64mb of space for us? This is very limiting.
- A way of operating when closed. That imate had it right: putting a display on the outer clamshell. I can imagine looking at that screen and accepting a call on my bt headset without having to open the clamshell up.

http://www.mikenchell.com/handheldpcs/
I dont think this does phone duties though, but it is cool.
http://www.mobilecowboys.nl/mobilerumours/3423
this appears to be a less functional clone of the Universal. Seems kinda bakkerds huh?

axebox, i own a purse (a lot, actually). Im still thinking hard before getting the advantage. Ive been reading the reviews and the comments from the athena thread and seems like it's not a perfect device as well. The speaker's a bit buggy too. I dont really mind the size as long as it meets my needs. I like the screen because I read a lot of ebooks. Im doing that now with my dopod900 and I dropped it a couple of times because I fell asleep while reading. haha. Plus it's using micro sd (not as affordable as sd). And then the magnetic case. I currently use the piel frama case and I use it as a wallet too, i have all my credit cards and other important cards too, plus some cash. Yup, my case is really bulky, especially since I have the thick battery. I managed to stretch the leather to fit the thick battery in. Anyway, Im happy with my dopod now but Im just thinking, if there's anything out there that's gonna be better, faster and maybe even smaller (but not really a priority feature), then I'll get it.
AllanonMage, I'll stick to my dopod.

Not quite what you meant I'm sure but I'm still lusting over it:
http://www.europe.htc.com/en/products/htcshift.html

toshiba g920 seems quite good replacement...negatives will be, probably:
battery life (ahhh...I will really miss 3200+4800mah!)
graphic performance, with wvga you can't expect too much...
smaller display
no rom fun/cooking, superslow updates and patch,no xda support (sigh)
I'm still undecided, though, and even samsung i780 is a pretty good device...but I fear the 320x320 resol., after being accustomed to 640x480....

How big is the athena?

The dimensions don't tell me anything neither do photo's. The thing looks huge. I have the kaiser currently and I am interested in the Athena and the kaiser when I hold it from the bottom of my palm it reaches to the middle of my fingers(the middle ridges). How far would it go, and how practice is it to place a call? Any user experiences that are good bad? pros cons to it? I'm not looking at reviews because they are usually just to praise gadgets. I want real peoples experiences with it.
Thanks
~~Tito~~

the athena is about the size of my whole hand from base of palm up until end of pinky
its a huge phone but i love it...
everyone always asks me why i carry that thing around... but to me nothing else beats it

i didnt like using the bluetooth headset all the time and found talking directly into the mic with the volume turned down led to frequent complaints about sound quality. If you dont mind using an earpiece most of the time then this shouldn't concern you -i like talking into phones because i'm old fashoned and because it saves battery AND means i don't have to worry about TWO devices being charged before i go to work.
There is always the wired headset, but i think wires are a bit awkward and scruffy.
The size is huge, and certainly a talking point. Everyone who saw my athena commented on its size - usually in a derogatory manner - and i think i started to become known as the 'Big Phone Man'. I did love texting on my athena and didnt care too much what people thought but in the end it was the call handling that got me: you can have all the bluetooth wristwatches, earpieces and headsets in the world but nothing beats having a phone pressed against your ear for me.

For me, the size of Athena is the most optimal one could ever have. The 5 inches screen makes it practical to run realVGA at 96 dpi. (In 96dpi, the fonts are already very very small, but most people -not all- still find the screen big enough) If it is say 4 inches, I believe 96dpi would be quite impractical to use, and I believe most people would find the screen way too small to be used in 96dpi. It fits into standard size shirt pocket without any problem, and is not heavy enough to pull your shirt down too much. I would not buy it if the screen is say just 3.5 inches.
I use the phone as it is without bluetooth, sometimes with wired headset. Sound quality is very good with any wired headset. It is not in the same category of "bigness" as the shift. Athena is truly "body portable", which means you can bring it with you everywhere 27/7. I recommend a good belt pouch for this. I feel that Athena has managed to stay within the very limit of "body portability". Shift, on the other hand, is only "travel friendly" but you would leave it in the hotel once you reach your travel destination, unless you want to carry a backpack or briefcase in your hand all the time.
If you are unsure on how big it is, do what I did before I bought Athena. Measure the dimension and make model of it yourself and hold it to get a feel. (I actually carried the model in my pocket for a few days before acquiring mine). But it is also important not to think of this as a phone. It is a data first, phone second device. The size is superb for GPS, pictures, video playback, internet browsing, spreadsheets, word processing, etc. Smaller screens are just not as useful for these. I would be very very sad if the future model becomes say 4 inches screen only.

I agree with most of your points, though tito stressed call handling and size in his thread and made no mention of data-centic use. I would've disagreed about the Athena's browser capabilities until a few weeks ago but now Netfront 3.5 is here the Athena is a lot more desirable.
I agree about the 'body-portable' statement, though if you're used to very 'pocketable' phones then I wouldn't recommend the Athena, since without a protective case the screen is VERY vulnerable and nigh-on impossible to find a replacement for, even if you can squeeze it in my pocket - which I did, with the occasional scary moment! I like things in my pocket, not in pouches or fanny packs but Tito might be more like you Eaglesteve ;-)
The screen isn't transflective either so not great to view in daylight, though i believe you can buy screen covers to improve this.
I wouldn't disagree that wired headsets work great in terms of sound quality, but I just didn't personally like having wires trailing from my body, nor did i like having an earpiece in at work. I liked the 'feel' of the Athena and thus liked to pick up and hold it when taking calls. This was just my personal preference, and despite having every variation of headset I invariably held the phone to my ear.
The problem was that with both of the Athenas i owned - and indeed my Hermes which has a faulty embedded mic and necessitates loudspeaker use when handling calls - call quality was terrible when holding the device to my head - not from my end but for the other party. Held at the recommended distance as a voice conferencing aid it worked fine, but I didn't want everyone to know what I was saying!
I also disagree about video performance - not great in my experience, but perhaps graphics accelerator support is around the corner which would make a big difference.

If you also intent to use it as an MP3, you would have wired headset if you want the best possible quality sound, so I assume you would carry it with you somehow in your pocket most of the time anyway. (How else do we listen to music on the go?) Actually my version of wired headset is designed such that it hangs like a neckless over me all the time so I simply pick up the earbud and stick it into my ear when needed, and let it hang down like a neckless when not needed. The headset is inside my shirt with only a bit of the earbud wire coming out from the collar. So, it is really quite inconspicuous.
Yes, we do have some very nice browsers coming up. It has made hell of a difference in the past few weeks. It will get even better with Opera Mobile 9.5 and Netfront's final version. Not to mention the Skyfire. We'll be spoilt for choice.
Also, you might want to try Softmaker Office 2008, which is sensational on Athena's big screen. It is available for free download and will be free until end of March. Get it. I just LOVE this on Athena's screen. Read more about softmaker office here: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1078
I do not have any problem with my videos. All my videos play very well. They're mostly download from the net, so they might have been converted already though.
I don't have issue carrying the device in the belt pouch. It is very well protected already as I put the screen facing my body. That's how I carried my past devices as well, and had never had any problem. Athena's is not that fragile. Of course, please don't put it in your back pocket and sit on it.

eaglesteve said:
If you also intent to use it as an MP3, you would have wired headset if you want the best possible quality sound, so I assume you would carry it with you somehow in your pocket most of the time anyway. (How else do we listen to music on the go?) Actually my version of wired headset is designed such that it hangs like a neckless over me all the time so I simply pick up the earbud and stick it into my ear when needed, and let it hang down like a neckless when not needed. The headset is inside my shirt with only a bit of the earbud wire coming out from the collar. So, it is really quite inconspicuous.
Yes, we do have some very nice browsers coming up. It has made hell of a difference in the past few weeks. It will get even better with Opera Mobile 9.5 and Netfront's final version. Not to mention the Skyfire. We'll be spoilt for choice.
Also, you might want to try Softmaker Office 2008, which is sensational on Athena's big screen. It is available for free download and will be free until end of March. Get it. I just LOVE this on Athena's screen. Read more about softmaker office here: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1078
I do not have any problem with my videos. All my videos play very well. They're mostly download from the net, so they might have been converted already though.
I don't have issue carrying the device in the belt pouch. It is very well protected already as I put the screen facing my body. That's how I carried my past devices as well, and had never had any problem. Athena's is not that fragile. Of course, please don't put it in your back pocket and sit on it.
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I can't fault music playback on the athena - it's really very good, and obviously while listening to music i used my sony bluetooth earbuds which use a necklace design as you describe eaglesteve. I dont think the athena is the most user-friendly mp3 player about though - not for on the move certainly since it is very precarious and fiddly to use the device one-handed. I wish someone would release an iphone thin 5 inch tablet - no keyboard but intelligent autorotate and scroll with a screen just slightly wide.r and just slightly narrorew than the athena. Id get one straightaway, but then nothing's ever perfect is it?? I think if anyone were to make such a device it would be LG

I have an unlimited data plan so data is not a problem. I do not use a case for my kaiser I let it sit naked in my pocket.
Is it faster than the kaiser? Has there been an in depth look to see if it indeed was missing the drivers also? I would like to know this, I would use this as a PC mainly, and my kaiser as an away phone(like using it at school, places where you don't really use the phone that much). How practical is to use data? Does it work well with reception, call quality? How useful is it with games and emu's? How well is it in pockets(naked)? What is the 8gb memory all about, and how is it used?
Please provide some of your experiences and your tips, I would like to know now because I am very reckless with things sometimes. .LOL)
Thanks guys!

~~Tito~~ said:
I have an unlimited data plan so data is not a problem. I do not use a case for my kaiser I let it sit naked in my pocket.
Is it faster than the kaiser? Has there been an in depth look to see if it indeed was missing the drivers also? I would like to know this, I would use this as a PC mainly, and my kaiser as an away phone(like using it at school, places where you don't really use the phone that much). How practical is to use data? Does it work well with reception, call quality? How useful is it with games and emu's? How well is it in pockets(naked)? What is the 8gb memory all about, and how is it used?
Please provide some of your experiences and your tips, I would like to know now because I am very reckless with things sometimes. .LOL)
Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you don't really believe in review, but I've done a post review which is after 10 months of actual use instead of initial impression. These articles might help you to decide:
Athena's storage: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/962
Athena's screen: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1011
Athena's keyboard : http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1031
Athena as a phone: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1063
More aspects of Athena will be published in due time.
Hopet this helps.

Thanks!! I will look at that!

leoni1980 said:
I can't fault music playback on the athena - it's really very good, and obviously while listening to music i used my sony bluetooth earbuds which use a necklace design as you describe eaglesteve. I dont think the athena is the most user-friendly mp3 player about though - not for on the move certainly since it is very precarious and fiddly to use the device one-handed. I wish someone would release an iphone thin 5 inch tablet - no keyboard but intelligent autorotate and scroll with a screen just slightly wide.r and just slightly narrorew than the athena. Id get one straightaway, but then nothing's ever perfect is it?? I think if anyone were to make such a device it would be LG
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Actually I use the music player very easily. It sits in my pouch while I use it on the road or when doing shopping. I have assigned the joystick to control it. The four joystick direction will allow me to volume up, volume down, next song, previous song. On rare occasion, if I want to jump to other song, I press the OK button to bring up the playlist, then just touch the desired song. So, there's even no question of one handed or two handed operation.
Anyway, I'm very used to operating Athena one handed. I mentioned many times that I have mastered this artform when entering my golf scores with one hand while pushing my golf buggy with the other hand. I have very small hand so most other people should be able to do better than me. How small is my hand? Well, where our hand joints the forearm there is a wrinkled line. From there to the tip of my middle finger my length is 175mm only. Most of my friend's hands are bigger than mine. It is obviously not as easy as a very small phone, but it is still possible, with some practice.
I agree that the device could be thinner, and do without the keyboard. But I'm not sure about changing the aspect ratio. I've confirmation from users of such devices that there are software compatibility issues. One users mentioned that the compatiblity issues between 800x480 and 640x480 is more severe than between QVGA and VGA based on his experience. I have not used it myself, so I don't know, but I think it is not so problem free.

What exactly does it come with when you buy it?

Different seller package it differently. In my case (or rather my relative's case as they bought my device as a gift for me), I got a wired head set with the ability to accept phone call and change volume, extra stylus, a 3 in 1 stylus (laser, normal pen, and stylus), screen protector (not very good one though, leaves the gap around the edge), usb cable, VGA out cable, car windscreen holder (for using GPS while driving), leather case (a very nice one, I should say, although I never use it since I don't use the hardware keyboard), CD containing the ROM, CD for a Mapking GPS software with one free map of your choice, CD for Sprite backup, GPRS monitor, WorldCard Mobile (a software that lets you use the camera to automatically capture name card details into your contact database), CE-Star (a chinese input software).
Some other retailer gave away iPod or a 17 inch LCD monitor, but I did'nt manage to get that. Earlier buyers also got a bluetooth headset instead of wired one.

Search "smartphones show 31" on youtube, which has some comparisons between an e90 and htc advantage, along with giving a good idea of the size of the device.

cool, whats so different about the x7501? I mean, what would be the benefits of getting it, is it worth it?

X7501 is cheaper i believe. It was brought out with windows mobile 6 pre-installed and does not have a video conferencing camera on the front as it is designed for the u.s. market. I think that's pretty much the only difference.

leoni1980 said:
X7501 is cheaper i believe. It was brought out with windows mobile 6 pre-installed and does not have a video conferencing camera on the front as it is designed for the u.s. market. I think that's pretty much the only difference.
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Oh, so, its better since I don't need the front camera anyways? I really want it, but I am just narrowing down which version and how it would play out to my standards of a tablet like that( I know what I said, I consider it a tablet because of its size and functionality).
What other perps are there to the device? Other than the screen and camera.

If I live in US, no doubt I'd buy X7501, as I would get local warranty and servicing. It's also cheaper than X7500. It is my understanding from one of the more knowledgeable posters in this forum that Telco in US are not allowed to offer video conferencing services (those in the know might like to confirm this), so it is pointless having 7500. The only issue now is 7501 versus a SSD model that is still unavailable, but may be available in the future in US. Against that, is the possibility that folks here might succeed in finding out how to upgrade X7501/7500 to a SSD drive. Like I said, if it can be done, then the X7501/7500 would certainly be superior to 7510 in my mind because we have all the hardware buttons, which are extremely useful.

Snap/Ozone Owners

whats ur take on the device?
is it really worth it? are u content?

I really like it. Yes its not a killer device in comparisson to some but its really functional and ticks all the boxes for me.

I'm very happy with my Snap. It is by a considerable margin the fastest WM device I have ever used and is not showing any sign of slowing down as I load it up with software. There are various different varieties around (Maple, Cedar etc) - personally I would say make sure you get one with a trackball. Whilst this takes a little getting used to, after a few days you will wonder how you ever managed with a D-pad. The keyboard is excellent and the device is very compact and pocketable - the flat full qwerty layout means it is very comfortable in a jacket or shirt pocket.
If you find the idea of an iPhone and/or large touch screen appealing then clearly the device is not for you. Personally I find the whole touch screen thing a pain - my Kaiser used to drive me nuts sometimes (despite being very extensively tweaked). The screen is obviously not that big and still QVGA, but if you are looking for a functional device on the WM platform that gets the job done this is the best device yet, IMHO.

JC6 said:
I'm very happy with my Snap. It is by a considerable margin the fastest WM device I have ever used and is not showing any sign of slowing down as I load it up with software. There are various different varieties around (Maple, Cedar etc) - personally I would say make sure you get one with a trackball. Whilst this takes a little getting used to, after a few days you will wonder how you ever managed with a D-pad. The keyboard is excellent and the device is very compact and pocketable - the flat full qwerty layout means it is very comfortable in a jacket or shirt pocket.
If you find the idea of an iPhone and/or large touch screen appealing then clearly the device is not for you. Personally I find the whole touch screen thing a pain - my Kaiser used to drive me nuts sometimes (despite being very extensively tweaked). The screen is obviously not that big and still QVGA, but if you are looking for a functional device on the WM platform that gets the job done this is the best device yet, IMHO.
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thank u so much for ur review!
well as far as getting a trackball, my service provider doesnt have that edition, so im stuck with a d-pad.
now as far as app wise..have u installed anything?

Very quick little device. I missthe touch screen I had but I'm getting used to it. microSD up to 16GB doesn't hurt either. Camera is very clear, good quality pic. Very simple device. Does what it's supposed to do and does it well. Since it was a free upgrade formy wife and I, it's even a sweeter deal. Kind of nice for usboth have access to email at all times. Theta huge batterymakes for very very good run time.

Love it!
I got rid of a Touch Pro and got this instead after my wife got one. (I *hated* the Touch Pro...what a slow, buggy, heated piece of crap). This little phone rocks!

Keyboard/Case Combination Uk

Has anyone found a decent keyboard/case combination within the Uk? I'd like something that has the keyboard built into a leather style flip case. I had one (bluetooth leather flip case) for my iPad which was superb but the Iconia is a little too long for it

There are some on Amazon & Ebay, but people have reported in here that you need a USB hub to get the keyboard to work, which for me makes it useless. I don't want to have to lug around even more stuff!
The case also isn't a perfect fit.

Hi,
No personal experience but you might like the keyboard/case combination on eBay (search for object ID 160610349685 - Sorry I am not allowed to post hyperlinks yet)
The link refers to the Dutch eBay but I'll bet you can find the same device on the UK site of eBay.
HTH
Greetz,
S.J.Onnie

re Case/Keyboard
hi - i have ordered one so will let you know my thoughts once it arrives - not expecting to much but again it may okay for light use in the office and i will use my other case for normal wear and tear protection.

I own that case or something amazing close to it. The reports of needing a USB hub to get the keyboard to work are accurate. I ending up buying a L shaped 4 port hub, it sticks out of the case but allows me to have a mouse and a usb stick plugged in at the same time.
My hope is that once 3.1 drops I can loose the hub, but I am not holding out to much hope.

S.J.Onnie said:
Hi,
No personal experience but you might like the keyboard/case combination on eBay (search for object ID 160610349685 - Sorry I am not allowed to post hyperlinks yet)
The link refers to the Dutch eBay but I'll bet you can find the same device on the UK site of eBay.
HTH
Greetz,
S.J.Onnie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you mean this one - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160612016080
does anyone actually own this one and can they report if it actually works, functionality, etc.
Thank you!

i own one of this, i like the case a lot, it looks stylish and it's very good for note taking, i also use a bluetooth mouse for easy access, the keyboard is made for windows (it has windows key) and havent found a way to bind the back action with any key, most keys works as intended, even the menu key (next to alt gr), but it seems tha honeycomb is not made to be used with just keyboard, you need to use the touch screen or a mouse. the case weigth a little bit less as tablet, has 3 magnets (one for close, one to secure the back support, and other to hold the latch while you use it), overall i think its a great case for the tablet, would like a more "honeycomb" oriented keyboard like the acer official, but for most things this just works.
I use it with dexter's P1 Rom, cause i coudn't make it work with any other rom, no even P2, virtous or stock 3.01.
cheers

wrocha said:
i own one of this, i like the case a lot, it looks stylish and it's very good for note taking, i also use a bluetooth mouse for easy access, the keyboard is made for windows (it has windows key) and havent found a way to bind the back action with any key, most keys works as intended, even the menu key (next to alt gr), but it seems tha honeycomb is not made to be used with just keyboard, you need to use the touch screen or a mouse. the case weigth a little bit less as tablet, has 3 magnets (one for close, one to secure the back support, and other to hold the latch while you use it), overall i think its a great case for the tablet, would like a more "honeycomb" oriented keyboard like the acer official, but for most things this just works.
I use it with dexter's P1 Rom, cause i coudn't make it work with any other rom, no even P2, virtous or stock 3.01.
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I might try this one out. For $19 it is an inexpensive risk I think.

this is cheap as I am finding keyboards for $69.00. why so cheap that always makes me flinch like it is not to be believed.

what do you think...
just looks to dog gone cheap!

the only bad thing i see here, is that there is no protection for the screen, when you close the case, the screen is in contact with the keyboard. But the idea is good, transform the tab into something near the transformer from asus for 10 time cheaper ^^
can someone test it please

I have one on order. Should arrive this week sometime hopefully. Will report back on how it works with my Acer tablet

I've ordered one of these as well should do the job short term. Worth the money compared to what some of the other cases are charging. Now that 3.1 has been released hopefully we'll see a lot more bluetooth/keyboard case combinations for this tablet as it seems it 'wasn't completely compatible' with certain hardware prior to this update. Needless to say it worked fine with my wife's ipad 2 bluetooth case just unfortunate that i couldn't jam my iconia into one of them! I think if there's not a bluetooth keyboard/folio case combo available soon I'm going to buy a bunch of the bluetooth keyboards a bunch of the leather folio cases for the iconia and a big tube of superglue and start my own case company!!

well the keyboard case i orderd arrived this morning, so it was a quick flash back out of the Galaxy ROM so i can plug the usb in. Using it to type this up.
sorry no photos but those in the advert are about correct, the only one missing is the kick stand.
The Case Quality is adequate, but considering what it costs then i can not expet too much. Stiching is okay and reasonably tidy, get the feeling it will fray though if rubbed a bit hard. USB cable is more than adequate. There are no cutouts for Camera, speakers etc but then i dont need that when i am using it as an office tool.
Drain on the battery for the USB power is noticeable but then i suspect that is the same for most plugins. Not too much of the plastic smell so that was okay.
The case closure is held in place with a small magnet, just about strong enough for the job. The kick stand is also held flat to the case when not in use by a magnet which is a nice touch. The angle of the screen with the stand is fine for me
The keys themselves give just enough play, Typing is for me okay as i dont have the largest hands in the world but if you are wide fingered then it may a little tight.
the right hand Shift and Enter keys a little to close for me, i keep hitting the Enter key by mistake. Obviously the function keys etc have no purpose.
The real problem lies in the fitting of the Acer into the case - the lugs that are supposed to hold it are about 3-5mm too large so the acer is very loose. it wont fall out forward or to the sides but as there is no lug on the top, turn the case around without the clasp closed and it will definitely be on the floor. i am sure i can find a remedy for this that would allow me use the case with a greater feeling of security.
on the whole a useable case if the security can be sorted for those needing to spend some time at the keyboard, but probably not your long term day in - day out case. Mine will probably end up on my desk and i will slip the acer in when i wnat to use it and back to something else for mormal use.
Hope that helps
ps. typed this in a notes program as i find the browser is very laggy when trying totype directly in to it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160610349685&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

GREAT FEEDBACK - thank you. I have the same one coming - should arrive next week.
For $19 - your review is very encouraging.

To use it for any normal activity you Need to figure out a way of not letting it slip out of the top. Some of the material you use on the dashboard of the car to stop your phone etc slipping might well do the trick . Probably easier and cleaner than some other methods I might try. But if it is a slip in and type , slip it out and walk away use, then it meets that criteria faily well.
Let me know your thoughts when you get it

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1175316 is the thread for the one I received.

I've just ordered one off amazon. Will post pics when I get it
Sent from my LT15i using XDA Premium App

ShaunD103 said:
I've just ordered one off amazon. Will post pics when I get it
Sent from my LT15i using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you will be really happy. I have been using mine constantly since it arrived. Makes using the tablet much easier and far quicker when typing. Really adds a lot to the overall unit as a whole.

Just received mine in the post. So far looks very nice but need to wait until I can get home so I can test it with my Iconia! Will post pics and thoughts later and a link to the product.