Database Users

Considering the K-Jam... suggestions ?

I currently have a Jasjar, but I'm finding it too big...
I love all the features, but I want to be able to use it one-handed, throw it in my pocket, etc... the K-Jam seems like a good alternative.
The only things that I'm not liking about the K-Jam are:
- Lower rez screen (but it's smaller than the Jasjar, 3.6" vs. 2.8"... so its still pretty sharp... and I can't really see where I couldn't live without it)
- 2.5" headset jack, and on the bottom... (kinda annoying... but could use an adapter... but still a hassle because I currently plug my MP3 player into my car, my headphones AND speakers at the office, and I'll have to have an adapter sticking out of the bottom of my phone now...)
- Mini-SD card... (SD is much better to go above 2GB, even up to 4GB... and it's not exactly a well known or used format... SD is cheaper, and Memory Stick Pro Duo is coming down in price since the PSP came out... but what can I do)
Also, does it work well for one-handed use ?
Any ex-Treo users who care to comment ?
Any ideas ? Suggestions ?
Thanks !

The wizard is a solid device. Go for it!!
You will love the extra battery life and size. I really could not imagine having a universal clipped to my belt weighing my pants down.
I upgraded from an alpine and I could not be happier.
Higher screen REZ is not needed on a screen that small. The screen is much sharper compared to the alpine.
The OMAP cpu is just enough processing power to run everything out there.
Also, I noiticed you were in Canada so I doubt you were making use of the 3G power of the universal(probably another 5-7 years for Canada). The wizard is EDGE enabled so if you use rogers you will see great data download rates. I was lucky enough to already be signed up with fido and their $50/month unlimited data plan when rogers took over fido so i am paying $50 a month for unlimited EDGE use. I am quite sure FIDO does not offer this plan to new subscibers anymore.
My only compliants with the wizard are:
-HTC needs to make better use of the device by increasing screen size without increasing the size of the device.(all HTC devices)
-The stylus hole is a joke. My stylus hole wore out within 1 week and now my stylus slides out of the hole very easily. Soon it will probably be falling out. Didn't they bother testing this at all???
-no GPS.

hey audible,
thanks for the reply !
I am with fido / rogers as well and I signed up for the unlimited plan as well... are you in Montreal ? and where did you order your K-Jam ?
so yeah I'd be good using the EDGE support... I often use my p800 as a bluetooth modem with my laptop.
a few questions:
- that sounds bad about the stylus... is there a solution ?
- have you experienced any issues multi-tasking with the OMAP ?
- have you ever tried a VGA screen on a pda to compare ?
- how's the k-jams one handed use ? have you ever tried a treo for one handed use in comparison ?
- did you remap the explorer and mail buttons to something more useful ? like windows and OK ?
- does the 2.5" jack bother you ? do you use an adapter ?
- does the keyboard slide mechanism feel solid ? I'm worried now after what you said about the stylus...
thanks and look forward to your reply !
Posted from a Universal !

- that sounds bad about the stylus... is there a solution ?
I haven't had any probs with my stylus yet, except it may be a little looser than when I got it.
- have you experienced any issues multi-tasking with the OMAP ?
Nope, I can have several apps open at once (eg. Calender, Notes, Email, MSN, IE x 2 (using PPCPlus), TCPMP playing MP3) and its fine.
- have you ever tried a VGA screen on a pda to compare ?
It resembles the crispness of VGA screen because of its smaller size, but in no way matches the res.
- how's the k-jams one handed use ? have you ever tried a treo for one handed use in comparison ?
Haven't tried a treo, but WM5 is great for one handed use. I can do most things without the stylus. The Win and Ok keys on the keyboard make it even easier.
- did you remap the explorer and mail buttons to something more useful ? like windows and OK ?
You can, but I find their defaults good.
- does the 2.5" jack bother you ? do you use an adapter ?
I rarely use it, but yes when I do I use an adaptor.
- does the keyboard slide mechanism feel solid ? I'm worried now after what you said about the stylus...
I am happy with the slider. It seems pretty solid, and the screen definately feels like it will stay up when it is up.

Hey mitchello,
thanks for your feedback !
Audible:
Any comments ?

Wizard (imate K-JAM) is awesome!
Moving from a Blue Angel to the wizrd has so far been very pleasing. The smaller screen has been a little daunting, especially trying to use the "finger" stylus, but beyond that I highly recommend it.
Stability and features in WM5 are nice, and should not be discounted.
I'm on T-Mobile in the US, and EDGE is great at around 150kbs, compared to 30kbs via GPRS.

i upgraded from my IMATE PPC and i love the K-JAM , it is a little slow , but the battery is great.. i love the deviced , once you get used to it and all features you will love it..
i used adapter to play MP3 in my car and it work great...
good luck

i upgraded from my IMATE PPC and i love the K-JAM , it is a little slow , but the battery is great.. i love the deviced , once you get used to it and all features you will love it..
i used adapter to play MP3 in my car and it work great...
good luck

Hey rah,
thanks for the comments !
Good to hear someone else who uses it to play tunes in the car.
What about one-handed use ? Do you feel you have to do finger aerobics to do certain things, like open the start menu ?
I've heard of people mapping the Send Call button to the Start menu in the Today screen...
I'm wondering if I could map Send and End to Start and OK in every screen except for the Phone screen ?
Any comments ?

Serious Post! Should i keep my JasJar or Sell it ?!?!

Okay guys, this is serious. I'm impressed by my JasJar but i'm not sure it does anything more that i actually need it for than my Imate Jam. As far as I can see there are some good points and some bad points about it and i wouldn't mind some opinons about whether its worth keeping or selling.
Okay my first view on the plus sides:
Screen is excellent quality
Wifi is very fast and much faster than the wifi sd card i have at the moment.
Keyboard is useful combined (but not as big as the fold out one i have for my imate)
Negative Sides:
3g doesn't seem to work in my area so i can't seem to benefit from that
Size is big (i would need a second phone to go out with etc)
Can't see much difference in speed with my level of usage
Pain in the ass to anwser it (imate jam is not a big phone at all)
Software is still a bugger to install etc.
Okay, my mine uses for the jasjar were to be for work. I would be booking appts and keeping track of those appointments and information regarding them on the pda for my work. Although harder to type in, i could in theroy do that on the imate jam. I don't use the wifi alot outside of the home (although it would be useful to use mirc, the web etc while girlfriend is on the pc).
At the moment i'm umming and ahhing because i have to take the phone with me everywhere (actually considering using the jasjar sim free while i'm off work and putting the imate jam back on the road as it were)
REALLY appreciate anyones help to this, its good but i'm not sure if its enough of a step for me to merit not selling it and getting ALOT of money for it (brought as upgrade through o2)
Look forward to the replys
Ian

I'm gonna tell you what I tell other people:
If you don't know what to do with a jasjar then buy the wizard.
The wizard size is as good as big as the jam, has wifi, keyboard and is in those ways much better then the jam.
The reason I need the pro is because I love the vga screen, keyboard and WM5, and I can give support to my customers through logmein.com using 3G.
So sell your jasjar and jam and go buy a wizard.

thanks for the quick response. I'm not sure that I would want a wizard really. I do think that I need to use the exec in a work situation before really considering getting rid of it.
That logmein.com looks rather cool, would like to be able to control my home pc while at work to setup downloads etc. the screen on this is rather special and i'm not against getting a second handset to use for going out etc.
would like to hear anyone elses views if possible.
just to point out to you and myself really i'm lying in bed writing this on the forum with real ease via wifi. hmmmmm another pro to the exec I think!
Ian

thanks for the quick response. I'm not sure that I would want a wizard really. I do think that I need to use the exec in a work situation before really considering getting rid of it.
That logmein.com looks rather cool, would like to be able to control my home pc while at work to setup downloads etc. the screen on this is rather special and i'm not against getting a second handset to use for going out etc.
would like to hear anyone elses views if possible.
just to point out to you and myself really i'm lying in bed writing this on the forum with real ease via wifi. hmmmmm another pro to the exec I think!
Ian

I've tried both, and apologies for readers of this forum, but the Wizard wins hands down. The Universal reminds me of why I ditched the first Ipaqs and went back to Palm years ago. Sure the Pocket PCs had better displays and you could show off playing movie clips, but that novelty soon waned when it was too big to carry and it took ages to lookup a phone number or check your diary.
You've got to weigh up what you _really_ need when you're away from your PC. The whole point to me of having a PDA is that I can access or update my information quickly at all times. The Ipaq seemd to be always at home or in my desk drawer just when I needed it, because it was a pain to carry. Even when I had it, it was sluggish finding the information I needed. The Palms won over because they went with me everywhere, and information retrieval was almost instant.
So, the Universal is a step back to the bad old days - except it's bigger and heavier. Good to show off with but impractical in most situations outside of the work environment because of its bulk.
Don't be fooled by the CPU either. Whatever advantage the Universal has on paper over the Wizard is sapped in real life by the need to update the VGA display. True, the Wizard is no speed merchant (even when compared to a Treo). But I found responsiveness to critical tasks (e.g. starting up Messaging to read/send a text, screen rotation, answering calls) significantly slower on the Universal - and that _really_ starts to annoy when you're in a rush.
So, everything I did with the Universal I can pretty much do on the Wizard, with the big difference that I can take it anywhere. Anyhing else can wait until I'm back at my PC. What's more, I can actually see who's calling and answer a phone call before it drops or diverts to voicemail
And don't forget the resale value. Given the trend of HTC Wizard / Prophet / Atom devices, the longer you hold onto the huge Universal the less saleable it's going to be. Sure, it fills a niche at the moment, but in 12 month's time, is a 1st generation device that big going to have anything but collectors' appeal?
So, unless you only use the Universal in the home and office, the larger keyboard and VGA display are"must haves", and you don't mind missing the odd phone call, then I would say the Wizard was the better bet.
If you really need a VGA display, a keyboard, and top performance, go for a proper PDA like the Dell X51v, a bluetooth keyboard and a seperate cellphone - it'll probably be cheaper, more flexible and easier to carry. And each element will work much better at what it is designed to do.

@Ineedtoys, what a refreshing and objective view on the subject. Having owned a Treo 650 and Clie TH55 I know what you're talking about. In the real world stability, size of device and battery life are still the key requirements and showing your latest toy to friends/work colleagues etc is nice but for most people is not a sufficient reason for buying a device. You either buy a device to meet a personal requirement or buy a device so that you can play with it "like a toy". Decide if you want a real tool or a "toy" first and then you'll be happy with your decision.
My view is that the Universal is not really a cell phone, it is an advanced PDA/mini tablet and you need to use it with another cell phone. The story for the Wizard may be different.

At first I always open the screen and rotated it to see who is calling me, and pick up the phone. Just like my old xda has it's screen outside.
But this take way to long, and most of the time the caller hung up before it was ready to rotate the screen and is able to pick up the call..
Now I just open the lid to see who it is. then close it again and pick up with the side green phone button leaving the pro closed.
If you use it this way i'ts perfect.
At first I had to get used of the size but now I am used to it.
People sometimes think: what the hell is that big thing?
But when I op the "laptop" and rotate it's screen and show the phone it's the coolest thing they've seen .

very interesting reading
Ihave a Universal (o2) for a week now, and am SERIOUSLY thinking of returning it for something else,
I like the Mini s (Wizard) too, but one subject that I believe is left aside is the battery life : with the Universal that I have tested for over a week if I did use the Wifi like 2 hours and a bit of BT and phone, then its battery would be gone by 5pm (starting at 9am !) quite a shame.
My point is : do these devices need to be pluged to the AC anytime we want to use to use the connexions, in that case I can stick with my laptop if need to be wired.
Or is it ony the Universal that is amazingly sucking the battery like no other ?
I appreciate your help as I have to decide if I send it back before friday ! ;-)

Re: very interesting reading
I presume you tried turning the screen brightness and WiFi power right down, and IR beaming off? The Wizard will definately give you longer as it doesn't have the battery sucking screen and has the low power OMAP processor.

The battery life in the Universal seems to get conditioned after a couple of weeks and does improve, but you don't have enough time to wait for that!

already better after 8 days
in fact I have noticed that it is getting better after a week (the battery),
but it's only because I now used the wifi only when I know I have a power nearby and I disable all connexion when I have it in my pocket, same for the brightness etc...
still.. the second point to change it is definately the size : I already have a tablet-pc to play with, so that will do it for now.
Back soon on this forum with the Wizard. :lol:

ill take your universal for my wizard

Sold my Qtek 9100 today... and am happy about it

After owning it for 5 month, I got rid of my Qtek 9100, it turned out a piece of junk..
First the Mail and Internet Explorer keys peeled off, then the gray paint on the sides peeled off, then the keyboard became loose, then the stylus began to fell off by itself...
I don't know what my next PPC will be, I am looking into something more rigid now.

naughty said:
I got rid of my Qtek 9100, it turned out a piece of junk..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blasphemy...... and in a wizard forum!
I know what you mean though - maybe a prophet will do you, some times i think i would have preferred a prophet being slimmer more rigid and 2mp camera. But today when writing a long text. i know why i like the wizard - the keyboard

naughty said:
After owning it for 5 month, I got rid of my Qtek 9100, it turned out a piece of junk..
First the Mail and Internet Explorer keys peeled off, then the gray paint on the sides peeled off, then the keyboard became loose, then the stylus began to fell off by itself...
I don't know what my next PPC will be, I am looking into something more rigid now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alrighty - Dont let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Exactly what did you hope to achieve by coming here and posting? Were you hoping to justify your decision to yourself.

Bratag said:
naughty said:
After owning it for 5 month, I got rid of my Qtek 9100, it turned out a piece of junk..
First the Mail and Internet Explorer keys peeled off, then the gray paint on the sides peeled off, then the keyboard became loose, then the stylus began to fell off by itself...
I don't know what my next PPC will be, I am looking into something more rigid now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alrighty - Dont let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Exactly what did you hope to achieve by coming here and posting? Were you hoping to justify your decision to yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just wanted to share my disappointment. I will talk to you after you own the Wizard for 5 months, PM me then with feedback.

Well I've had mine for 6 now, and here's my experiences...
- it's slower than expected ( yes, I could overclock, but really.. I don't want it faster that badly )
- the paint peeled off the IE/Mail/Soft key buttons.. ah well, big deal - the mail button goes to the start menu and the IE button clicks on the app close button, so the icons don't match my functions anyway.
- no paint peeled off the sides yet
- no loose stylus yet (I tend to collapse it before inserting it - maybe that reduces stress on the part that breaks off?)
All in all, I'm quite happy with it. Sure, I would've liked it faster, and maybe 640x480 would've been nice (and built-in GPS, FM radio, a 3.5mm headphones plug, better volume on hands-free (oddly, an episode of stargate I put on there plays quite loudly - so it should be possible.. haven't tried those reghacks yet), maybe a scroll wheel, and a 2-3MP decent camera would've been plusses)... but here's the thing... None of the devices out there that fit that bill (to greater or lesser extent) appeal to me. They're either even bulkier and less practical to me (e.g. Universal) or their button layout irks me (Magician, and upcoming 'Wizard replacement' Hermes), etc. Form-factor wise, the Wizard suits me best, and that's why I got it - the slightly slower performance (I noticed it in the store) wasn't so much an issue for me.. I'm not using it to play the latest 3D game.

I have had my QTEK 9100 since January and I have to say that it is the best phone I have ever owned. Of course it is my first Pocket PC so that doesn’t give me much to compare to. It does have some small issues but overall, I am glad I bought it. I am also experiencing the stylus fallout issue but plan to try the suggestion offered in another thread once I receive my replacement stylus next week. No issues yet with the paint but that is not important to me because I have reprogrammed most of the buttons to perform another function anyway. I also find it a pain to have to hard reset when upgrading the ROM or sometimes the device just starts acting weird (like windows 9x) so I just reformat it. Long process but it works. I would have to say that this device is not friendly enough yet for the average consumer but this forum has been a great help with resolving issues and offering tips. I think I would have gone nuts if it weren’t for this forum! The QTEK website is useless for help or ROM updates so I will likely not get another QTEK but will consider the same model from another manufacturer.

keitht said:
The QTEK website is useless for help or ROM updates so I will likely not get another QTEK but will consider the same model from another manufacturer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just updated to last ROM using Qtek website, all what you have to do is registering your IMEI in their site, and then you can download any new ROM for free with instructions how to do it, plus there is area fo registered users where you can download Tonerings, games, appz etc... for free. Just wanted to defend Qtek Site and clearing this misunderstanding.

naughty said:
After owning it for 5 month, I got rid of my Qtek 9100, it turned out a piece of junk..
First the Mail and Internet Explorer keys peeled off, then the gray paint on the sides peeled off, then the keyboard became loose, then the stylus began to fell off by itself...
I don't know what my next PPC will be, I am looking into something more rigid now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I had the same paint problem with Himalaya device (qtek2020). I suppose this is due to wet hands I also have the same problem with my notebook ASUS M2Ne. But the problem is solved by annual ordering of the case for notebook and I suppose you can order cases for your handhelds too.
As for now, I don't have any problems as you did with wizard. I will try to be careful with mentioned areas

Thomas1234 said:
keitht said:
The QTEK website is useless for help or ROM updates so I will likely not get another QTEK but will consider the same model from another manufacturer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just updated to last ROM using Qtek website, all what you have to do is registering your IMEI in their site, and then you can download any new ROM for free with instructions how to do it, plus there is area fo registered users where you can download Tonerings, games, appz etc... for free. Just wanted to defend Qtek Site and clearing this misunderstanding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wish it was that easy... tried that and they claim my number is not valid and that I need to contact the vendor where I purchased for updates... well that vendor is EBAY so I am SOL on that. So I rely on this site for my updates.

@keitht :
I guess that the person - who sold this to you - registered the IMEI already therfore you have to know his Username and Password to login, or tell him to delete the IMEI from his account, then you can register your imei for your account.
I don't know if you can reach the seller anyway, but I think this is what happened and this what can be done to solve this problem.
BTW I am happy with the Wizard, but this is only my 3rd day using it , that means this thread doesn't count me.

with regards to the paint peeling off... no, that's not normal, really. If you want these things to last, then you don't use decals (cheap keyboards use these... you'll see the letters 'chip' off) or paint (slightly more expensive keyboards.. the letters will fade) - you use cut-outs or impregnation. On the Wizard, for example, check the green/red phone buttons (when they're not backlit). Those will never fade or chip, as they're cut-outs.
Note that they could have used cut-outs for the other buttons as well, but cut-outs are slightly more expensive, and it would be even more expensive once you factor in branding (e.g. T-Mobile would need a whole special cut-out for their HotSpots icon instead of the IE icon - whereas now, that's just a different stamp)
However, even given that it's not normal - it *is* common, and I've just come to expect it from anything that uses decals/paints for any graphics/lettering. You lean to live with it, unfortunately

I have had more than 10 different pocket pc's and 2 different pocket pc phones in the last 5 years and have to say that my Qtek 9100 is my favorite handheld device yet. It has a great battery life, does not lose data if the battery dies, works great as a web browsing tool, computer, and phone, and also works remarkebly well with bluetooth. I find it to be the first converged device I have owned that I can just use, without having to constantly fuss with it to make it work. It is far from perfect, but definitely good enough for my purposes so that when I travel I do not need to carry my laptop, as it fulfills all my computing needs, albeit with a slightly less than ideal user experience. I am more than willing to put up with the minor idiosyncracies of the device when I consider how many devices it can fill the gap for.

I'm using my Wizard for 7 months now, and it's definitely the best PDA/phone I've ever had. Ok, the build quality isn't on par with brands like Sony-Ericsson or Samsung, but the functionality makes up for everything. I use it for push-mail, navigating, browsing, contacts and calendar. When traveling by train, I hook it up to my laptop and use it as a GPRS-modem (I've got flat-fee GPRS from T-Mobile), zo I'm connected to the internet and the office. I use it at home on the sofa for browsing and MSN when my wife is watching stuff I really don't wanna watch (like soaps). In my car it's used as a navigation device (Adapt 300 GPS) and it's connected with my BT Logitech headset.
The paint hasn't scraped off anywhere, but the stylus comes loose too easy (a single wrap of tape around the black tip works fine).
Great phone, I'd cry if I had to miss it

I have the K-Jam since october 2005, so almost 8 month now.
For me it is also the best PDA in years.
It's the first PDA that lasts longer than half a year with me. :lol:
And I don't even see a suitable successor in the near future.
I don't face the problems with paint peeling off.
Ok, the mail and the IE button have faded a little, but that's all.
And, of course, the speed isn't everything, it could be improved.
The stylus is a little loose, but it doesn't falls out (yet)
And I am very, very pleased with the pushmail and A2DP.

I've had my Vario for around 6 months now, and don't see any of the problems the thread starter has found.
I treat my phone with care amd respect, in return it keeps all its paint on for me.
It may be true that the Vario build quality is not a patch on the MDA Compact, but it's still in good condition.

I've had my vario now for 3 months and the main problem I have with it is the stylus not holding as well as it did when it was new. No paint peeling off etc.
It may only be a 195mhz processor, but it is faster than my Treo 650 with a 312mhz processor.
I've used most of the Treos' and this is my first device on the 'dark side'! The treo is simpler to use, but the wizard was the closest I could get with the same size form. Unfortunately for Palm, WM5 is streets ahead of Palm os - maybe that is why they released the 700w.
Anyway, the 700 is not an option for me in the UK.
Connecting to 2 bluetooth devices at the same time, stereo bluetooth capability - all things treo 650 users wanted, multitasking - the list goes on. I can see me upgrading to the 3G version of the wizard when it's time to upgrade my phone in the future, in a little over a year.
When I was given the phone by T-Mobile, I wasn't going to use it, and just use my Treo 650, but the more I read about the vario and then used it, the more I liked it.
The wizard rocks.

I LOVE everything abouth my wizard! I'll upgrade only to wizard with microdrive (when ever it be)!

My 8125 is my first "Dark Side" device too. I've never been happier. The only thing I miss about PalmOS was the wonderful screen realestate on my Tungsten T3.
I've punished the case on mine pretty badly too and it's never chipped or peeled. The only thing that happened was that little rubber "foot" on the battery cover came off. I wonder if the various style of Wizard cases are built by different manufacturers? That could account for this.

Xda Excalibur vs Hermes comparison

Just let you know my comparison of the two units after 5 days with the Xda Cosmo after having the Trion for the last 4 months. My Girlfriend brought me the Excalibur as a pre Christmas gift 8)
After 4 months my Trion main speaker stopped working and I have currently sent it back to get it replaced. All in all I was quite happy with the Trion except for a few quirks.
1. Media Player was buggy with the storage card
2. Never got WM5orage working properly (either had to stopo all my programs running on the storage card which included removing items from the Today screen).
3. Screen alignment problem.
I got the Hermes originally as it looked like a device which I didn't have to use the stylus much to access most of the functionality and in 90% of cases I got by with just using the jog wheel and a couple of presses with my thumb (I had the very first xda device and was turned off by the need to use the stylus to do simple things such as dialing and looking up contacts )
I had noticed due to the operating system PPC vs smartphone the PPC needed much more processing power and hence battery life was preety much limited due to the power from the CPU 400mhz vs 200mhz ( maybe of the extra functionality needed for the touchscreen ).
Differences in the devices
1. Xda Excalibur is more responsive even with the slower CPU. Contacts work instantly on typing on the keyboard. On the hermes there is always a delay in searching for contacts.
2. Excalibur supports multiple languages in its rom and therefore there no need to reflash the rom with the rom with your appropriate language.
3. A2DP works flawlessly on Excalibur being aku 3.2. No need to install cab files to get it working and no sound quality issues and no need to get somone to write a bt stack driver to get around the microsoft one.
4. Programs in general for smartphone seem to be running better than on Pocket PC. Tomtom 6 Navigator doesn't run on the Cosmo but Tomtom 5 work just fine and performance actually seems better on the smartphone even with the lower CPU. Same is notice with other PPC vs Smartphone progams I have eg Skype and Fizz Traveller
5. Cosmo has 128 MB flash ram which is really useful as I was always trying to install everything on the SD card with the Trion to get as much memory possible for standard stuff such as emails, ringtones etc. Yes I know you can tweak the Hermes to get ringtones from the SD card but it just a hassle changing the registry settings.
6. For some reason Windows Live Beta works on the Cosmo. It stopped working on the Hermes about a month ago and never worked since. The smartphone version looks really nice as well and functions much better as I have noticed with all smartphone vs ppc programs.
7. WLAN works much better on the Cosmo compared to the Hermes eg handling of connection settings when WLAN is turned on. On the Hermes I always had to go through the process of changing my connection settings every time I switched by WLAN on an off.
8. Battery life on cosmo is much better. 3.5-4 days use compared to 1.5-2 days use on Trion. Probably because of CPU (I also changed the Hermes to GPRS only to try and save battery life due to UMTS draining the battery)
9. Not to sing all praises for the Excalibur. The only drawback I have found so far for my purposes is the Microsoft Office editing functionality is not possible on the smartphone.
10. 2MP camera vs 1.3 MP camera but I really cannot see much advantage in the quality as the 2MP wasnt that great to start with. Yes the Hermes has a led light but I doesn't really help with indoor photos. The 1.3 MP camera seems to be better quality than other 1.3 MP cameras before and for emails, web photos and MMS quality seems fine for my purposes as I wont ever print out photos from a camera handy.
11. Lack to UMTS/HSDPA on Excalibur. Loose the speed but you'll gain heaps on battery life.
12. Microsoft Media Player works with the SD card. No disappearing songs 8)
13. Price. The excalibur is less than 1/6 the price of the Trion on contract. My Girlfriend brought the Cosmo on contact for 60 Euro. I got the Trion for 320 Euro on the same contact.
14. and I think this is the killer. The excalibur have looks to die for. The Hermes is thick and although many people would say it is solidly built after using the Excalibur it makes the Hermes look like a oversized flimsy machine. The Excalibur is thin and compact with a large screen. Fits in your shirt pocket or even slide it into your jeans!!! HTC have outdone themselves with the build quality I haven't seen any phone build as solid including the razr. I fells like the device is made out of titanium or magnesium with a soft feel rubber all along the back of the device and for the keys as well, ( I cat't stop touching the device it feels sooo.. good ). My Girlfriend who is really fashion concious absolutely loves the look of the device. Photos on the net do not do it justice you have to see it in real to appreciate it's looks for me one look and it was love at first sight. (I first got a look at it from a female collegue who got the phone)
It took me a day to get used to the smaller keyboard and maybe bigger thumbs might have some problems but with rubber keys feel beautiful and make each key feel distinct during typing. The excalibur really is a one hand device even with the d pad and keys only. The touch slider is just a added bonus with flexibility.
After writing this I have noticed that this is more of a sales pitch for the excalibur than a comparison of the two devices but I have found my perfect device which does everything I need without any problems ( performance, bugs and quirks ). If you dont need the UMTS speed I must say Excalibur is the way to go. If you really need UMTS and 2MP camera then wait for the Calivier ( the UMTS /2 MP / 300Mhz version of the excalibur, rumoured to release in Spring next year ).
For me the excalibur seems to have a quite launch compared to the expectations of the Hermes maybe because on paper the Hermes looks better in terms of specifications but for usability it's excalibur all the way.
Now what to do with my Trion when it gets back?

excalibur is a smartphone right ?

Yes it is a smartphone but I think that is why it is much more responsive. Microsoft has done something right with wm5 for smartphone. Theres not much a smartphone cant do now compared to the pocket pc now. except for the microsoft office editing capabilities. I tried skype today and for some reason it was much more clearer than the pocket pc version.

it depends what you use it for..
if youre like me who has to do Office work, watch movies and play tradewinds then the touch screen is VITAL.. personally i dont have any issues with my hermes as the ones youve mentioned above..
and ofcourse there is the touch screen

I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.

k2snowboards88 said:
I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Have both, S620 to work and TyTn for play, and I had Wizard.
Try opera mini... better than IE and I use it also on HERMES
I've found a LOT of home screens (motorola Q has many of it) but also I like to play with XML, using just notepad and I have now my PERFECT , tre pages (scrolling), Home screen!
Office problems? try the new DATAWIZ suite, much better than office embedded in TyTN
Great as navigator and fits in my jeans pocket (the BACK pocket) and in my shirt pocket!
I 've sold the wizard believing the HERMES was the empowered Wizard. It Is the STUPID WIZARD'S BIG BROTHER believe me!

I've tried opera mini, and i dont particularly like it. I consider it to be a step down from the standard PIE with the reg edit to make PIE identify itself as a desktop computer. I guess i just miss the adaptability of my wizard. My hermes will be here soon though. I'll never make the mistake of selling my old phone before getting a new one again. If i dont like the hermes, i'll still have my blackjack. After a week, i'll decide which one to keep.

T-mobile "Wing" Availability

Just got off the phone with a t-mobile representative just a few seconds ago. I was calling about a replacement (on my 4th MDA) and asked about the availability of "The Wing". He said availability will be on May 22, 2007 here in the USA. I also asked him about the availability of an upgrade for the MDA Vario II which is what I have. He say's; "They (being t-mobile) are NOT planning an upgrade for this phone. I am ordering the "Wing" ASAP on that date yippeee!!
I spoke to the representative for at least ten minutes. I asked about the "The Wing" and he said that he had a co-worker who works in the lab where they test the phone(s) and got some "hand's on" time with it. He said it was very nice and liked the spring loaded keyboard which gives it more of a solid feel when sliding out the keyboard. I always seem to fidget with the Wizard in my holster as it seems the keyboard likes to slide slightly when it's on my hip. I do want the LED indicator lights for the function keys and caps too. I do have the hack on the Wizard for the indicator but it's nice to see those little added extra features that "The Wing" will have. The representative also said that it will have a better grip in your hands unlike the Wizard. I like that as I always fear and have to handle the Wizard with kid gloves, that it will slide out of my hands or I will drop it.... which did happen on one of them and it got a scratch :-( No 3G support but he say's that t-mobile will surpass 3G with a faster data network sometime in 2008.
I am however disappointed in the fact that they will not offer an upgrade and of course I could get a rom off here but I prefer to have the real deal. I would like a custom rom for the MDA with the carrier default stuff for t-mobile working and then tweak it myself.
Just thought I would pass this info along
~Spaz~

great !
i seen this phone.. its pretty awesome
specialy this screen that is nicely floating on it
and its fast

It the same as XDA terra - I guess. So it will be more romcookers for this device available in a few month.

http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=749
hmm this looks like a wizard with a better camera and mono speaker viewing on the hardware side of it
whereas the processor http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/wt...00&path=templatedata/cm/product/data/omap_850
does stereo
nice one to port wm6 from

da_jojo said:
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=749
hmm this looks like a wizard with a better camera and mono speaker viewing on the hardware side of it
whereas the processor http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/wt...00&path=templatedata/cm/product/data/omap_850
does stereo
nice one to port wm6 from
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I´m trying to - but i don´t know teh exact adresses for dumping.
Just look here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=305857&page=2

yes i read it was looking for an answer for you but i wasnt able to find any on google nor on developers site
just some stupid idea : did you try the adress of the wizard ?

da_jojo said:
yes i read it was looking for an answer for you but i wasnt able to find any on google nor on developers site
just some stupid idea : did you try the adress of the wizard ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With this i got an 57mb big nba file. But you cannot falsh to wizard. when i´m using pdocread with -l (otion) i get teh toal size of 62Mb = 3e00000 - but you can also not flash to wizard. when i take an original nbh file from herald upgrade it contains ipl, spl, radio, extrom and os.
but when i use pdocread i only get os.
Don´t know any further.

if u call after june5th to get ur mda replaced they will send u a brand new tmob wing inplace of the mda.. u just have to pay shipping..

Not looking forward to the wing
Sure it has a 2 MP camera, but no flash. There are also no convenient bottons for messaging and internet explorer on the front. Instead there is only the messaging button which they put on the side.
They keyboard is HORRIBLE. Very similar to the 8125 and 8525. They are all stuck together and it makes it VERY annoying to type with. Also, the R,T, and I,O buttons are compromised because they squeezed the left and right soft buttons there (so they are about 80% the size of the other buttons)
Spring loaded??? Expect it to get worn over time.
And to top it off, its the same processor speed as the MDA!!! 200MHz???? Completely not worth the money.
I recently got the 8525, and i really do miss my MDA. The wing is a hybrid between the MDA and 8525, but with a good majority of drawbacks. Its 2 steps forward and 10 steps back.
Seriously now... no flash? some keys are not full size? touching keys? Puke...
I had tested the wing for about 2 days, but within the first 2 minutes i was already frustrated with its drawbacks.

not sure how i feel about having only 1 speaker too..

Yes indeed - it is the same like wizard.
BUT when you don´t use UMTS, when you don´t take pictures with a handy by night (the flash of wizard was horrible), when you want a thinn device for carrying in your pocket -- it is the wing (terra)
And when youn love your wizard - and just want a newer one.
Take the wing.
BTW - the mainstorage is much faster than teh wizard ones.
Benchmark without overclocking and tweaks

papamopps said:
Yes indeed - it is the same like wizard.
BUT when you don´t use UMTS, when you don´t take pictures with a handy by night (the flash of wizard was horrible), when you want a thinn device for carrying in your pocket -- it is the wing (terra)
And when youn love your wizard - and just want a newer one.
Take the wing.
BTW - the mainstorage is much faster than teh wizard ones.
Benchmark without overclocking and tweaks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cut me in in that deal you have with HTC, lool

i'm addicted to this flashlight build in.. i use it a lot
on the other hand the better cam is also a nice feature.

The camera is not TOOO bad.
I love this picture taken on midday.
(btw resized by irfanview - original is better)

nice one
i would put mine in here if the limit wasnt 97kb lol
long live the office 2007 picturemanager

da_jojo said:
nice one
i would put mine in here if the limit wasnt 97kb lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats why i worte - "resized" it is not the original one which had 495kb and 1280x960

The wing has no IR which is a drawback for me,(i use my MDA as a tv Remote) and that they didn't upgrade the processor makes it not worth any more than the MDA, only thing better is the keyboard,(keys not how its spring loaded). The MDA keys are way to small.

papamopps said:
thats why i worte - "resized" it is not the original one which had 495kb and 1280x960
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup yup
i read this
so i took the time to find a fast way
compress for webcontent in office2007 pictureviewer and save as

da_jojo said:
nice one
i would put mine in here if the limit wasnt 97kb lol
long live the office 2007 picturemanager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BUT is it an T-Wing or wizard picture?
Which device do you have?

this one mentioned in my signature.. mda vario a.k. wizard 200