Database Users

The Damn Thing is TOO Fat and Ugly!

Is it just me, or is the Wizard not as good looking as the Magician?
I wish they would give me integrated wireless, WM 5.0, a better bluetooth stack and more ram on the same device.
I really don't need the stupid keyboard. It seems to add quite a bit of thickness.
My .02 cents.
-CoolBeans

I totally agree. Its looks like a cheap and tacky attempt to make something look futuristic.

The Keyboard is really personal preference. I know I will get a ton of use out of that keyboard since I type about 30 emails a day on my phone and it is a logical step for HTC.
The wizard has not yet been branded by O2, Orange etc... these companies will add their own personal cosmetic flavour to the device. Have you seen the pictures of the CDMA version of the wizard? It is a very nice looking device(except for that ugly antenna sticking out)

Orange are going to call it the SPV M600 some info on www.coolsmartphone.com

I wouldn't even consider this device if it didn't have a keyboard. A keyboard is the absolute most important factor in any device I consider. Without a keyboard, I don't even look at it.

I thought the spirit of the Jam/Magician was to have a fairly full featured device in a small form factor.
If you need a keyboard, perhaps you should be looking to the Universal.
I bought a Javo case... thought it was too big. I then got a silicon skin for it and still felt it was too thick. I have now resorted to keeping my Jam naked and it feels just right (all puns intended).
Another 4-5 mm from the Wizard and I might look like I'm happy to see everyone I come across with this thing in my pocket.
It might have been a good thing in my dating days, but I'm married now.

Beleive me, if there were rumors about Sprint carrying the Universal, I would be getting one for sure. I'm only considering the Apache because I know I can get one within the next couple months.
Well, I guess I would probably get an Apache for my wife either way. But I would definitely get the Universal for myself. But as it stands right now, it's going to be 2 Apaches, 1 for me and 1 for the wife.
There are no rumors of a CDMA Universal, so there are definitely no rumors of my carrier (Sprint) offering a CDMA Universal. I'm locked into a contract with Sprint, so I can't just leave them. And besides, here in the USA there are only 2 3G networks at the moment, Sprint and Verizon. And both are CDMA (EVDO) so it would have to be a CDMA device for me to get it.
I won't consider it without a keyboard, but I won't buy it unless I can have broadband Internet on it.

I seem to be in the minoriy here, but I don't find the Wizard all that bad in terms of its shape/size/design.
I think first and foremost we need to be focused on FUNCTION, not form. HTC could have made something that looks fantastic and not do anything.
When looking at the side-by-side comparisons of the thickness of the device against the Magician, the extra thickness was necessary to add the slide-out keyboard feature. This is a feature that, IMHO, is well worth the extra thickness. When holding a device in one's hand, thickness is the dimension that's least noticible. I'd rather a device that's a bit thicker than wider or longer.
Couple the slide-out keyboard with WM5, WiFi, more internal memory, and approx. the same width/height as the Magician, and I'm sold.

While I agree it doesn't look "great", its far from ugly. Thickness? Please, it's still overall smaller than a Nokia 6600 and compared to the Magician the extra thickness is only half a centimeter... oh no!
I would have preferred that they went with a more professional look rather than this "styled" look. I'm glad to see that they keyboard is backlit - all the photos so far (except for the ones on the .nl site) haven't shown this.
I think I'll be getting the Wizard over the Apache simply because of the aerial. I'm not too fussed about the slower speed, but an external aerial would annoy me.

I agree.
All I wanted was a thinner JAM with wifi. I don't need a keyboard with my pdaphone. If i did, i would be going for the Universal, the Treo, a Sidekick or some HP device... :roll:
The JAM's design is elegant and functional. The Wizard's design isn't elegant, even though it may be very functional. (the Galaxy looked like my perfect pdaphone, until I realised it wasn't one... ) :lol:
Here's hoping that HTC will bring out a true succcessor to the minimalist JAM.

Come on, its got all these extra features and its only 0.5 cm thicker... thats this much: --
Oh my, how will we ever lug this extra size around! ;p

Guys, you're all missing the point!
The show stopper here is the processor: TI OMAP 850!
WTF :shock:
DEFINITE step down from Magician
Also v bad:
Mini-SD and 320x240

As has already been discussed - its a dual core processor which should help somewhat AND since it has a low clock rate this will help save battery life.
This isnt meant to be an "uber" PDA, its meant to be a small phone that can do the tasks of a PDA. If you want something faster, then you're going to have to get the Universal which is also bigger and has a VGA screen.
Whats the problem with MiniSD other than having to buy a new card? I needed to get a new SD card anyway... so I guess this is another non-issue for me

"Unfortunately, it will be considerably slower. While the OMAP does combine seperate processors for phone and PDA functionality, at the end of the day it is just a 195MHz ARM processor (as found in PDAs from years ago) - it's not even Xscale. " Guess who wrote that?! :shock: Dumbass
VGA would have been nice, but I agree, small screen.
SD card capacity is better than Mini-SD, 4Gb vs 1Gb at the moment.
Most people will not want to ditch their exisiting SD cards either, from their Himalayas, Blue Angels, Alpines, Andes, Magicians!

Squuiid said:
"Unfortunately, it will be considerably slower. While the OMAP does combine seperate processors for phone and PDA functionality, at the end of the day it is just a 195MHz ARM processor (as found in PDAs from years ago) - it's not even Xscale. " Guess who wrote that?! :shock: Dumbass
VGA would have been nice, but I agree, small screen.
SD card capacity is better than Mini-SD, 4Gb vs 1Gb at the moment.
Most people will not want to ditch their exisiting SD cards either, from their Himalayas, Blue Angels, Alpines, Andes, Magicians!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fail to see why I am a "dumbass". It will be considerably slower than a 400MHz Xscale processor, but the fact that its dual core will help it out. I see no contradiction between those two statements.
As for the SD cards - theres always eBay to sell your old ones on
Try learning some etiquette before posting on forums.

http://www.pocketpc-club.nl/contentimages/qtek9100_preview/2.jpg
Tell me that aint thicker...
This thing is thicker and uglier than all 4 of your mothers teeth! :lol:
Here's a picture of ugly right here, next to a much more elegant JAM.
http://www.pocketpc-club.nl/contentimages/qtek9100_preview/1.jpg
Haha, look at the buttons! This phone is for suckers.

Here's a picture of ugly right here, next to a much more elegant JAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta admit it DOES look as if its scowling at me when put next to the magician
Cant really see why people are getting so personal in their insults and defences about this phone tho .... when it comes down to it the phone hasnt actually been in anybodys hands yet so until some brave soul actually goes out and gets one its all just conjecture

is anyone else here disappointed with the lack of choice at the moment? its either the Universal or Wizard and each one for me has serious drawbacks: universal is tri band with no high speed option for the US, wizard has miniSD ( i currently have over 1GB of data on mine.) The BA design has everything and just needs EDGE for US and 3G for Europe, improved camera, WM5.

This thread has become more like a voting place for the Wizzard.....With valuable infos though..... :wink:
Now CoolBeans....
I would advice that u edit ur post and add a Poll,this way everybody can say his opinion without the need to post....(althought above posts were really helpfull..).Still,post will always be welcomed.... :wink:
Oh,btw,I would vote for..."I love it"...
Greetings...
RAGO :lol:

efjay said:
is anyone else here disappointed with the lack of choice at the moment? its either the Universal or Wizard and each one for me has serious drawbacks: universal is tri band with no high speed option for the US, wizard has miniSD ( i currently have over 1GB of data on mine.) The BA design has everything and just needs EDGE for US and 3G for Europe, improved camera, WM5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well there are the HP IPAQ 6515 (and the future 6715 which has WiFi and WM 5.0). Plus the new Motorolla Q so there are others out there coming out soon.

HTC Hermes: good bye Universal

Check this out:
http://msmobiles.com/news.php/4473.html
Same Universal performance but no swivel screen (better) and probaly a bit thinner.

Again, no VGA display.....

andreuroig said:
Check this out:
http://msmobiles.com/news.php/4473.html
Same Universal performance but no swivel screen (better) and probaly a bit thinner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no way this is going to replace my Universal. I wouldn't even consider anything without a VGA screen at this point. Besides... I like the swivel screen that affords a larger keyboard.
Brett

BrettS said:
I wouldn't even consider anything without a VGA screen at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree.
Hermes looks like the 3G replacement for the Wizard anyway.

Hoax photo - video cam spelled as 'vedio cam'
And it's a JAM style phone, not a 'true' XDA type phone.
No contest.

joebongo said:
Hoax photo - video cam spelled as 'vedio cam'
And it's a JAM style phone, not a 'true' XDA type phone.
No contest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, there is a contest. I'll miss the VGA screen, but I think I can cope. I went from a JAM to an Exec for 3G, now there's no reason for me not to go back to the smaller size, especially since I have an aquapac and a RAM Mount holder all at the right size for my bike and GPS...
What's the going rate for a second hand Exec?

I dont know if its the same pic or not (too lazxy to click the link, and correct my spelling apparently)
But heres the pic of the Hermes I came across a month ago in another article.
In any case this is just a spiffed up 3G version of the Wizard, I dont see it as a competitor for the Universal.

Osir1s said:
In any case this is just a spiffed up 3G version of the Wizard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For many, thnat's effectively what the Universal is.
(And a damned good one!)

What other good alternatives are coming?
I'd like a VGA but don't want to come back to the Universal as it's too big for me.

im not dealing with HTC anymore..the new one i bought crapped up on me 4days later. (white screen)
I think i will go Symbian OS :shock:

jlforlife said:
im not dealing with HTC anymore..the new one i bought crapped up on me 4days later. (white screen)
I think i will go Symbian OS :shock:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All hardware has a percentage of faults. Don't let one faulty device make you change to a completly different OS, you fool.
You obviously wnted a HTC Windows OS device for some sort of good reason.
Why not simply get a different Mobile Windows device?
Is that too easy?

Yeah, you are right. The screen that died on me has made me moody and thats not right. Infact WM 5 devices are of the advantage if you want to use it corporately..

Yes, in a corporate usage it is a must; although I also enjoy playing great games, which I'm not quite sure to get the same quality in other systems... There are also a huge choice of all kind of softwares available...
I can't imagine going for another OS.

I am considering the Hermes as well but I am waiting on the replacement for the Uni to come out [if HTC has something planned] before I make my decision final. I'd probably miss VGA as well I tried using a qVGA device again [hp iPAQ rw6828] and always ended up going back to the Uni's gorgeous VGA screen. I've since sold the iPAQ. :wink:
As for Symbian OS I think it depends on which variant of the OS, for now I'd stay away from the N series [3rd Ed of Symbian Series 60] as most people I know who got these mobiles complain that they're really slow... maybe the hardware needs to be updated by Nokia to support their *new* OS.

Ehm, hello? Hermes is a mobile phone with PDA capabilites and the Universal is a PDA (rather even a UMPC) with phone capabilities. These two are different kind of devices, as both are what they are in first place, but can never be perfect for what they are supposed to be in second place! I always wanted a replacement for my Psion Revo, with a keyboard big enough to actually write. And I do write with 6-8 fingers on my Universal, where as on the Wizard I can write with 2-4 fingers max - that makes a difference. Plus I can put the Universal on the table and put the screen in such a position so I can do video calls without having to hold the device - impossible with Hermes! Don't get me wrong: Hermes is a wonderful device for those who want a mobile phone with A+ hard- and software. But it can never be a replacement for those who want a UMPC they really can work with...

TRJS said:
Ehm, hello? Hermes is a mobile phone with PDA capabilites and the Universal is a PDA (rather even a UMPC) with phone capabilities. These two are different kind of devices, as both are what they are in first place, but can never be perfect for what they are supposed to be in second place! I always wanted a replacement for my Psion Revo, with a keyboard big enough to actually write. And I do write with 6-8 fingers on my Universal, where as on the Wizard I can write with 2-4 fingers max - that makes a difference. Plus I can put the Universal on the table and put the screen in such a position so I can do video calls without having to hold the device - impossible with Hermes! Don't get me wrong: Hermes is a wonderful device for those who want a mobile phone with A+ hard- and software. But it can never be a replacement for those who want a UMPC they really can work with...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right said!
I have also got a lot of fresh air with the Uni, maybe the first time after leaving my Revo.

I'd say that both are PDAs with phone capabilities, and not a phone with PDA capabilities. However, the Uni is more focused on PDA (maybe 80% PDA 20 phone) and the Hermes is something like (60% pda 40 phone). HOwever, right now I'm after an Advance TC MAGIC. I'll miss my Exec's VGA though... if only we could upgrade screens to VGA at will... along with the appropriate OS tweaks, of course.

Is this the first release of it in the UK?
The Register reports on the Orange SPV M3100.

There's also HTC TyTN already out.

nope, not a universal upd8/upgrade/replacement as its not VGA.
yes, i do agree that WM PDA-phones r more PDA than phone as opposed 2 symbian devices w/c r more phone than PDA. d palm OS PDA-phones (treos) can b classified IMO as d more balanced PDA & phone. but im more of a PDA person than phone so i still prefer WM PDA-phones.
y doesnt HTC release another VGA PPC-phone? isnt d universal popular enough? :roll:

What next after the Uni goes to the grave?

Will yuo lot all get an HTC Omni?
I am thinking of it - I cannt go back to a norma phone now!
Even the tytn doesn't quite do it for me.
What do youse lot think?
lr

Well from what I understand, the Omni is still a concept...... So until I know specs, size etc I will reserve judgement. Altho the Tytn looks impressive I won't be runnning out to get one just yet. I was an early adopter for the PDA2k and the universal and don't relish the teething problems again.
That said, most software is WM5 compliant now and I have my uni running like a dream. As has been said before, I like both the form factor, VGA and the keyboard so will defo be interested if and whwn an omni materialise

well according to the dude in the know - the vp for mobile comms for micro$oft, it's the same form factor but thinner, lighter and with more h/ware buttons on it.
lol.
it can apparently output to a projecter too - tho that's nothing I imagime many users would cherish.
have a look on the mocado forums it's all on there...

little_rock said:
Will yuo lot all get an HTC Omni?
I am thinking of it - I cannt go back to a norma phone now!
Even the tytn doesn't quite do it for me.
What do youse lot think?
lr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from the Uni to the g-Smart i128. Haven't looked back!!!

will take a look at the g smart..
lol you betrayer!
would u not go back to htc phone then?
why it the g smart so much better than the uni mate?
cheers,
lr

Gigabyte g-Smart i128
little_rock said:
will take a look at the g smart..
lol you betrayer!
would u not go back to htc phone then?
why it the g smart so much better than the uni mate?
cheers,
lr
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Click to collapse
LR.,
I just love the size of it, it actually fits in my pocket! It's just as quick (albeit with a slightly slower processor) and I love the extra features that Gigabyte have supplied, such as answer phone, call recording, call background noises (great for pretending you're somewhere where you're not! ) and it's even got the gimicks of live analogue TV and Radio.
Gigabyte don't seem to offer good tech support, but if you've had one PPC... you'll know how they work. Also you get a spare high capacity battery, desktop charger, case, all as standard (With i128 version)
The screen is just as crisp, the speakers louder and clearer than the Uni.... I've started a thread about it here with more indepth info and pictures...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=273825

The VGA screen and clamshell design is important for me. So if the new phone can't surpass or can't match what the Universal have, I won't even bother looking. A while back, there was another thread showing a little specs for the Omni and the first thing I noticed was there was no mention of a VGA screen and 3G, If that is true, then it is more of a downgrade than upgrade.

cktlcmd said:
The VGA screen and clamshell design is important for me. So if the new phone can't surpass or can't match what the Universal have, I won't even bother looking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Inclined to agree, woul also appreciate an improvement in battery life. I am fortunate, cause mine spend most of its life plugged into an active car cradle otherwise, I don't think I'd make it through the day!

Paul O'Brien, a Microsoft MVP and Admin of MoDaCo (which should give the following story some credibility) claims many HTC Universal's wishes have come true - HTC IS working on a Universal successor, a clamshell QWERTY phone device with a VGA screen. The device, code-named the HTC Omni, will be smaller and thinner, but sport more buttons.
It will have HSDPA, and will ship with AKU 3, which will allow projector functionality. Unfortunately one of the biggest requested improvements, a small external display, did not make it into the design.
Paul claims the design is still fluid, but if it is meant to ship at the end of '06 / early '07 this does not seem likely.
http://www.clieuk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?threadid=7826
Just in time for my next upgrade

Cheers slave this was a better version of my original post - lol mine was made from my uni on teeny tiny opera!

Charms said:
Inclined to agree, woul also appreciate an improvement in battery life. I am fortunate, cause mine spend most of its life plugged into an active car cradle otherwise, I don't think I'd make it through the day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't recommend this, it's not good for the battery, it needs to drain down otherwise won't hold it's capacity as well.

Who would swap their athena for a smaller device with the exact same specs?

I just sold my athena, and got a touch enhanced. Same rom and ram, 1/3rd processor speed and no 3g are the main differences to me.
But, I was wondering, who would swap their athena for a kaiser or touch cruise if those devices had vga, making them basically the same specs as the athena.
Edit:
It seems that people wouldnt want a vga screen on a device with a small width in inches. I think this is really funny, because all people did when both the kaiser's and Touch Cruise's specs were finalised, was say how if only it was vga. But now I thnk about it, with realvga on my athena [96dpi], it was basically 4 hermes screens glues together, in terms of size and res. So, the text was about the same size on today as ti was n my hermes. But imagine real vga on a 2.8 screen, it would be like having 4 3cm by 2 cm screens glued together. Tiny writing. So i think you're right about the vga.
Rory

I would, but I can't stress enough how much I love the VGA screen. I have a TyTN as well and although the screen size is smaller, I can't stand the QVGA resolution

i imagine most would. I don't know why htc are so slow on the uptake with vga displays, they're hardly new technology. 800 by 480 would be better though

I would not swap my athena for anything but a higher spec upgrade. I would like something with the same size screen but true native vga resolution or above with more cpu and a gpu that can be used. For me the size is no problem and i love the keyboard. People stare at my athena all the time and i think it is funny. The only person that has commented negatively was the typical iphone user. But i shut him up when i told him my device specs My favorite thing to tell iphone users is can your phone do "copy and paste" then i just laugh at them. It seems that they might be fixing that in the next firmware release though. Anyway the athena is my first step into pda phones and i don't think i would be able to use anything else.

mcwtrekkie said:
I would, but I can't stress enough how much I love the VGA screen. I have a TyTN as well and although the screen size is smaller, I can't stand the QVGA resolution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dido.
It is to note that I had a TyTN before the Athena, that had been given to me as a replacement for a Universal. And:
- that was the worst replacement I got ever. To me, screen was too small and low-res --> no usable Internet or word processing, however basic --> no need for the integrated keyboard, however good it may have been + no need for Wifi --> too thick and big, as well as too expensive for its practical use;
- the universal screen is 3,5" and VGA, and even if I am lucky to have excellent eyesight, I found it the bottom limit for readability.
So.... I'm not entirely sure one can really make full use of a VGA+ screen if it is not at the very least 4", and again, *at the very least*.
IMHO, of course.

Hell...I did it!!
What can I say....did I go off the Athena? Never, but my needs changed and I needed to be able to use my all-in-one device as a normal phone, without running into trouble when I forgot to charge my BT headset.
...So I ditched and got the Kaiser. Love the Kaiser even with its hardware driver issues, but I miss that large VGA display. There is nothing like it.
Having said that, that's all I miss. This thing is pocket friendly and with the exception of TV-Out (which I never really use) and the VGA screen, the Kaiser does it all.
Each to their own I guess. But I'll never have a bad word to say about the Athena....she'll always be my baby, lol. She's just too darn big to take out in public. ROFL.

Yeah i ditched too, after only 3 weeks, ive moved on to the tiny touch 256. I love my athena, and i dont want to send it off to its new home in italy, but i dont need it, and my mum's quite happy that i made 130 quid today. I think i will miss the massive screen, its area is about 3 times the touch's.
But i dont drive, so sont need gps, dont use tv out, and the touch at only 201 mhz wont make use of the hsdpa, and at school on both tytn and athena, i usually get 3g max, hardly ever hsdpa.
But theres my reasons for switching.
Oh yer, and because it couldnt make calls [check my sig]
x

No, I won't settle for a screen less than 4.5 inch big. realvga is useless for a 3.5 inch vga screen even at 128dpi.
I also hate having the integrated hardware keyboard. I'm a tablet person, loving Tengo very much.
I don't find Athen any less portable than say a Universal. I carry it without keyboard on my belt pouch, covered by my shirt so you don't even know or see me carry it.

well, before my athena i was using a mio a701 for like a year. it was quite a change because prior to that i was using an xda2i...which had a bigger screen. and switching over to the mio took some getting used to.
but now that i have a 5 inch screen it's so difficult to even think of switching back to a device with a smaller screen. i already upgraded the rom to ak 3.0 and it's the best ever. besides, the large screen is a good pacifier for my 3 year old when she want's to watch toons =)
cheers

why choose? I have both a touch, a tytn II and an Athena. My girlfriend uses the touch.. I use the Athena with a style-I in the car, as a gps, movie player or wherever i need to do work which involves browsing, excel and typing up large text bodies. Using style-i and Microsoft voice command I rarely take it out in public to make a call. The Athena is my best phone ever! The tytn II is a great side kick. Awesome keyboard for fast smses, putting in pim, even though the camera sucks, I still use it sometimes just to make a quick shot (hardly ever use the Athena camera as the quality just doesnt weigh up for the size) I even use the world card reader occasionally. Must say that I don't like browsing with the Tytn II, but it's still handy to have the chance to check some info etc in case my Athena is not close by.
in case of the Polaris, or an old universal for that matter, a 3,5 inch VGA screen is not big enough for my needs, (don't even think I would like a 4" screen) so if I had to choose, hypothetically speaking, I would still go for Athena

The large screen and internet anywhere (especially at 3G speeds) were the biggest reasons I bought it, so no, I wouldn't go back to a smaller screen even if most of the other specs on the other phone were better.

rorydaredkign said:
I just sold my athena, and got a touch enhanced. Same rom and ram, 1/3rd processor speed and no 3g are the main differences to me.
But, I was wondering, who would swap their athena for a kaiser or touch cruise if those devices had vga, making them basically the same specs as the athena.
Edit:
It seems that people wouldnt want a vga screen on a device with a small width in inches. I think this is really funny, because all people did when both the kaiser's and Touch Cruise's specs were finalised, was say how if only it was vga. But now I thnk about it, with realvga on my athena [96dpi], it was basically 4 hermes screens glues together, in terms of size and res. So, the text was about the same size on today as ti was n my hermes. But imagine real vga on a 2.8 screen, it would be like having 4 3cm by 2 cm screens glued together. Tiny writing. So i think you're right about the vga.
Rory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an Athena and love it. I also have a Kaiser (2), Universal, Hermes, Wizard and a couple of other phones. I could/would never switch. The Kaiser is not that impressive. Plus performance on the Kaiser sucks until the driver issue is resolved, etc. Kaisers are also dying left and right so reliability is not up to par. I was a little upset with my Athena due to a MicroDrive hardware issue but after hooking it up to my laptop using WMStorage and formatting the MD with Windows XP and running defrag/scandisk on it, I have not had any issues with it. Let's just see how long I have before experiencing another problem..if it ever happens again.

by the way, find these threads, trying to evaluate the quality of the Athena boring and unnecessary. I will stop posting on them I think...

[email protected] said:
by the way, find these threads, trying to evaluate the quality of the Athena boring and unnecessary. I will stop posting on them I think...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you're trying to tell everyone but ok. Take care.

ltxda said:
Not sure what you're trying to tell everyone but ok. Take care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are already many threads about what people think about the Athena. I think people keep it when they like and sell it if not.

[email protected] said:
there are already many threads about what people think about the Athena. I think people keep it when they like and sell it if not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha. Crystal clear.

[email protected] said:
there are already many threads about what people think about the Athena. I think people keep it when they like and sell it if not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
absolutely a good point. Smaller devices with with equivalent specification but smaller vga screen already exist. If there are so many voting yes but don't actually do it in action, something doesn't make sense.

My name is telling you my answer
The big screen is THE reason.
I've installed realVGA and use the 96dpi resolution. My GOD! I can't believe what I'm seeing. For once, a real workable work horse can be carried around. My previous phones does not let me see enough. The only problem I have is the keyboard. It's too small, even if I chose the big key option. Is there a way to make the keyboard standard size?

athenalover get lost. learn something on xda-wiki instead.

[email protected] said:
athenalover get lost. learn something on xda-wiki instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I'm still in the honeymoon period..I'd take my time, not in a hurry.
Joking. Your point taken. Thanks Martin.

Anything similar to Athena?

Is there any device in market or coming soon similar to Athena?
Important features included:
large screen (5" or above)
under $1000
long battery life
instant on
wifi, gps
weight about 1 lb
It should have more than one in this market segment.
Thanks!

Where have you been? Look at it's successor HTC Advantage X7510: http://www.digitalburn.com/index.php/2008/05/21/review-of-htcs-x7510-advantage/
...

alui said:
Is there any device in market or coming soon similar to Athena?
Important features included:
large screen (5" or above)
under $1000
long battery life
instant on
wifi, gps
weight about 1 lb
It should have more than one in this market segment.
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Good question. I'm looking for it too. I was hoping that 7510 was going to be it, but no. It was a step backward instead of forward, from my perspective and based on the way I'm going to use it.
I would add FM radio, support High Capacity external memory cards, 5MB camera, fluid video recorder, television, more rounded and thinner than 7500/7510.
I would like it to maintain the existing aspect ratio and not move toward 480x800 for the sake of software compatibility. No thanks, I don't want a 2.8" screen.
As you can see, there is none in the market that meets my dream list. So I guess I'd be using my Athena for a long long time to come still.

alui said:
Is there any device in market or coming soon similar to Athena?
Important features included:
large screen (5" or above)
under $1000
long battery life
instant on
wifi, gps
weight about 1 lb
It should have more than one in this market segment.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
question: All the things you've mentioned are included in the Athena, so why are you looking for something else????

Or if you don't mind a small screen and the absence of a keyboard, check out the Samsung Omnia: http://samsungomnia.com/
To be honest, if this had a better screen size, I would not consider saving up for the X7510, but nothing beats the screen of the Athena and Advantage as of now.
...

cktlcmd said:
Or if you don't mind a small screen and the absence of a keyboard, check out the Samsung Omnia: http://samsungomnia.com/
To be honest, if this had a better screen size, I would not consider saving up for the X7510, but nothing beats the screen of the Athena and Advantage as of now.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. You'd really appreciate Athena's (big) size when you're using e-reader program, pdf file viewer, SoftMakers (when in 92dpi especially), and internet browsing. You can see those otherwise too tiny fonts.

eaglesteve said:
Indeed. You'd really appreciate Athena's (big) size when you're using e-reader program, pdf file viewer, SoftMakers (when in 92dpi especially), and internet browsing. You can see those otherwise too tiny fonts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am dying in waiting here... for the X7510. On The Go Solutions will have it in stock by tomorrow. I keep holding back because I am waiting for the price of the X7500 (brand new) to drop to at least $900. If I can't control myself, I'll be buying the X7510 by next week. But before I order, I still want to know that they have it in stock, because the release date keeps moving back.
I even purchased ahead of time the following: Brando Workshop's Ultra clear screen protector, LG HBM 700 BT Communicator, heck... I even ordered a customized belt holster from Nutshell in Horizontal Style that houses both the case and the X7510 with keyboard. I had to make sure I didn't messed up on the size specifications I provided, so I waited for some reviews to confirm it. I guess we'll know in a few days.
...

For my the Athena is the best device today even compared with with the newer devices about to be released, HTC had the chance to get out a much better device with the 7510 but they didn't deliver.
In my opinion the only better thing is they doubled the amount of memory to 16gb and that is solid state rather than a hard disk, so what (8GB micro SDs cost peanuts this days and 16gb will soon be out there) but not joypad or buttons.
I want my next device with a proper graphics chip and the most sensitive gps chip out there and a camera that actually deliver even in poor light conditions
I want the OS and applications as good as those made by Apple or better and for gods sake Athena it is a VGA device, I want VGA working out of the box.
a little more ram will hep too ( for speed) and the phone function should work flawless at all times.
transflective LCD screen any one?
those are the issues that if solved will make a difference to my, and yea they can be solved the proof is this forum and excelent roms and apps.
Is anybody from HTC reading this?
said this I still convinced than Athena+XDA develoers hard work is the best device out there even after a year.
right, I feel much better now
oh yea good try with the new keyboard but not good enough.

i was reading this thread... and i had the urge to bump it up.
lol.
ciao!

HTC SHIFT? A bit Bigger... but loses some of the mobile capabilities and batt life?

Three months later and the answer to this thread is still the same - the 7500 or 7501 are still the best on the market. 7510 gives up too much, and nothing else on the market has the screen size, battery life, instant on, wifi, bt, etc.

For me, the replacement model is the HTC Touch HD.

Touch HD
I am also intrigued by the Touch HD, but I can't see on its spec page if it has VGA out. I use my Advantage to hook up to a projector and run PowerPoint. (Maybe I need a pocket sized projector that takes an SD card instead?)

touch hd lacks the hardware keyboard and gps, right? but atleast maybe they already fixed the graphic card issue in touch hd.

jetherson said:
touch hd lacks the hardware keyboard and gps, right? but atleast maybe they already fixed the graphic card issue in touch hd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have not only gps but also A-gps.
Thank goodness there is no keyboard.

Athena screen size attracted me most, though its a little bulky.
Xperia X1 is my prefer choice, if it is 1 inch more.

eaglesteve said:
They have not only gps but also A-gps.
Thank goodness there is no keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i see, i must have misread that gps thingy somewhere.

While Touch HD is the best replacement today, I'm still waiting for a 4.5 inch minimmum screen, with FM and TV and joystick. I don't mind not having the other hardware buttons but I really really want the joystick.
I prefer no keyboard personally. Just want the same form factor as the Touch HD.

I'm intrigued by the t-mob G1
http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/19/g1-appears-on-t-mobiles-site/

black--rider said:
HTC SHIFT? A bit Bigger... but loses some of the mobile capabilities and batt life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"a bit" bigger. nah, it is like several times bigger, i can take and post comparison photos
the truth is, while the shift is really small for a vista pc, the athena is incredibly small. (just don't compare it to normal phones )