Database Users

Should I buy HTC Universal or Wait for Hermes?

Any advice from Universal owners would be welcome. I need an unlocked tri or quad band phone and I am ready to buy now. I see that Hermes has 2.0 mp camera which I read is a big improvement. I am not that interested in keyboards and have heard that hermes predecessor (magician?) had problems...so I am concerned about having a slide out keyboard that I do not need which might cause problems in future. The hermes has upgraded blue tooth and usb if I am not mistaken as well as EDGE? Universal has SD while hermes has mini sd.
Any suggestions from Universal owners if I should get my Unlocked Universal now or if I should wait for Hermes???
thanks
scott

scottshort said:
I am not that interested in keyboards and have heard that hermes predecessor (magician?) had problems...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're not interested in keyboards, the Universal really shouldn't be a choice because it has the biggest keyboard of all HTC devices.
You say that you're ready to buy now, you can start with the Universal. If you don't like it, you could always sell it and get a Hermes when they come out. That's what I would do.

I understand that Keyboard is not on your priority list. However do consider the VGA screen on the uniersal. It is really the best screen I have ever seen. As I do a lot of net browsing a smaller QVGA screen is somewhat a deterrent for me.
Regards

thanks
Thanks all for advice. I have stage fright in making my purchase decision!! I am ready to buy now, but am now concerned that the Universal is already outdated....BUT the hermes wont be available as unlocked for some time....(you can probably understand how my last pocket pc was a phillips nino!!....I keep waiting for the best, and by the time it is available...there is a new best right around the corner!)
From your experience, is the universal a good machine? Will I have huge problems out of the box? Will I need ROM upgrade for it to work?? I am not a super techy guy (don't understand much about modifying these machines and am frankly afraid that I might mess it up) and this machine will need to last me for at least 5 years....I am not one to purchase the latest model each year....
Will I really miss all of the new additions present in the Hermes model?? such as 2.0 mp camera (reviews have said the 1.3 mp cam sucks), and all of the newer email capabilities edge? utms? Or do you think for a regular user that I won't miss them??
Some things that I want for sure:
Blue tooth STEREO phone and mp3 headset combo (so I can keep this brick stored in my bag and make and receive calls without it clipped to my belt all the time....and listen to mp3s in stereo....is this possible?
Voice commands from bluetooth headset...possible?
If there was an unlocked model similar to hermes available now without keypad...I would consider....but only thing I have seen is eten g500 with integrated gps...looks cool but only 1.3 mp camera and no wifi....so I do not see anything else available on market that is better than universal
thanks for any advice/experience you can offer
scott

srmz said:
I understand that Keyboard is not on your priority list. However do consider the VGA screen on the uniersal. It is really the best screen I have ever seen. As I do a lot of net browsing a smaller QVGA screen is somewhat a deterrent for me.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree with the screen part.
HX4700 has the best VGA screen IMO.

Chatbox said:
I have to disagree with the screen part.
HX4700 has the best VGA screen IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's not get off subject here. Yes, HX4700 has a really neat screen. However, it is not a phone.

what about prophet?
I have been reading about prophet...as a possible alternative to universal......I am worried that 200 mhz processor might be too slow for skype...one review said it was really slow.....but then another review said it was as fast as universal... has anyone used universal with voip or skype ...does it work ok??
Thanks for any comments.... is there a huge benefit to having universal's umts and 3G (most of my time is in america).....or would the prophet's (or Hermes) EDGE be seen by current universal owners as a big plus..and a better choice today...?
thanks again for the advice
scott

Re: what about prophet?
scottshort said:
I have been reading about prophet...as a possible alternative to universal......I am worried that 200 mhz processor might be too slow for skype...one review said it was really slow.....but then another review said it was as fast as universal... has anyone used universal with voip or skype ...does it work ok??
Thanks for any comments.... is there a huge benefit to having universal's umts and 3G (most of my time is in america).....or would the prophet's (or Hermes) EDGE be seen by current universal owners as a big plus..and a better choice today...?
thanks again for the advice
scott
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scott, currently 3G and UTMS, none of that stuff is avaliable here in the US. So if you spend a majority of your time here, it probably won't do you any good. EDGE will, but like I said it will only make a real noticable difference if you tether with a laptop and use it as a modem.
The 200mhz processor in the Prophet and Wizard series is a nice processor. For day to day usage, you probably won't even know that it's 200mhz. For Skype (If you use that feature a lot), I would steer away from the OMAP processor. I know some people say this and say that, in reality, it's really not a fast processer when coming down to run memory hogging big programs. The one thing I REALLY REALLY liked about the OMAP processor is how long those phones lasted on one charge. I can really use my Wizard all freak'n day and it would laugh at me. My Universal...that's a different story. :lol:

Things that Need Improved for HTC Advantage

I would like to start a thread about the things that are annoying, don't work right, or were not designed optimally.
I realize that this device is incredible and that no device will be perfect for all.
I don't have mine yet, but for those who do, please share your thoughts....
Thanks.

Well, normal phone usage is not possible right now. Its handsfree or nothing.
It would have been nice if they made something, like a modified stylus or what, with a mini cord (usb?), wich you can hold on your ear so that it would be possible to use it like a normal phone.
At least they could have made a extra earphone loudspeaker on the other side of the mic.
But as you suggest its a little minus on a nearly perfect device

I've ordered one of these for use with my Ameo -
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-LG-BLUETO...yZ133234QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It's a bluetooth handset, rather than a headset.
I'll let you know how well it works when it arrives.

It's not available in europe...

hybride said:
It's not available in europe...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is. If you have a Ebay account, your shipping bill is automatically calculated to your address. That is why the shipping button is unclickable

We, in indonesia face so many problem to buy accessories for athena... no store...long time waiting....
lucky you all...

Graphic. I really can't understand why is much cheaper PSP able to play any video in better quality than Ameo which is much more expensive (10 times more expensive Ameo)? I know it is just device for bussines but at least they could put some better graphic chip for Ameo or do something to play normal video.

schoofter said:
Graphic. I really can't understand why is much cheaper PSP able to play any video in better quality than Ameo which is much more expensive (10 times more expensive Ameo)? I know it is just device for bussines but at least they could put some better graphic chip for Ameo or do something to play normal video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My video quality is as good as a PSP (if not better)

Slave1 said:
My video quality is as good as a PSP (if not better)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am very glad to hear that

I just bought my Dopod U1000 not even 5 hours ago. My first impression seemed to be deteriorated at least by these following drawbacks
1. It can't really be used like any other normal phones: HTC should have known that ppl with need for this kind of gadget expect "all in one" functionality of the device so that they wouldn't have to carry many pieces of jigsaws to make just a simple call. I can't imagine how I could make calls during the day after my headset's battery dies.
2. Since the screen is huge, they should have included some software that allows icon size downward adjustment.
3. No vibration: I guess I gotta keep peeping at the device every time during my meeting
4. WM5: My addict to Crossbow has caused me some pain, even temporarily

Ken_xda said:
I just bought my Dopod U1000 not even 5 hours ago. My first impression seemed to be deteriorated at least by these following drawbacks
1. It can't really be used like any other normal phones: HTC should have known that ppl with need for this kind of gadget expect "all in one" functionality of the device so that they wouldn't have to carry many pieces of jigsaws to make just a simple call. I can't imagine how I could make calls during the day after my headset's battery dies.
2. Since the screen is huge, they should have included some software that allows icon size downward adjustment.
3. No vibration: I guess I gotta keep peeping at the device every time during my meeting
4. WM5: My addict to Crossbow has caused me some pain, even temporarily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess you should know what you are buying before you actually do. the icon size can be small if you use the VGA hack, WM6 will be out eventually, for the phone, well, can't say much about it, i knew it before i bought mine, so i don't really mind.

schoofter said:
Graphic. I really can't understand why is much cheaper PSP able to play any video in better quality than Ameo which is much more expensive (10 times more expensive Ameo)? I know it is just device for bussines but at least they could put some better graphic chip for Ameo or do something to play normal video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have an Ameo yet schoofter? If so, try a DVD-Rip....the quality on the Ameo is short of High definition on my screen...but certainly DVD quality at worst.
I was just commenting earlier today how great this device really is. It's an all rounder, but I agree that it would have been closer to my dream device if they had substituted the ATI chip for the Nvidia 5500 GPU.

wu5262 said:
i guess you should know what you are buying before you actually do. the icon size can be small if you use the VGA hack, WM6 will be out eventually, for the phone, well, can't say much about it, i knew it before i bought mine, so i don't really mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Wu, what VGA hack?

faisal.husain said:
@Wu, what VGA hack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it basically is a hack to make your device looks like real VGA, so you can display a lot more item on the screen. Try searching OzVGA, it's quite good

wu5262 said:
it basically is a hack to make your device looks like real VGA, so you can display a lot more item on the screen. Try searching OzVGA, it's quite good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, cool been reading a thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299460) about a guy who cant get ozVga working correctly, can you get it working correctly?

faisal.husain said:
Ok, cool been reading a thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299460) about a guy who cant get ozVga working correctly, can you get it working correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry i don't use real VGA

Pantaloonie said:
I've ordered one of these for use with my Ameo -
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-LG-BLUETO...yZ133234QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It's a bluetooth handset, rather than a headset.
I'll let you know how well it works when it arrives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know how you get on. I for one am holding off on buying an Advantage until I find a solution like this that works well. Some of the reviews I've seen seem to indicate the device has a problem staying paired.
Looking forward to your update

Well. my LG Style-i arrived to day, and I'm well pleased with it.
It is simple to pair, and simple to use. It's smaller than I expected, and pretty cool looking - it has the 'what the hell is that' factor, closely followed by 'and what the hell is that' when I pull out the Ameo.
Voice command works perfectly through it, the sound quality is excellent, and on full volume it's very loud, easily loud enough to use in a noisy pub.
I've (hopefully) attached a couple of pics so you can see the size against the Ameo.
It cost a total of £44 including shipping from the US, but hey, I would only have spent it on beer.....

funkyfrog said:
Some of the reviews I've seen seem to indicate the device has a problem staying paired.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not seen that mentioned anywhere, and I've not experienced that in the 9 days or so I've been using the Ameo - unless you are referring to the handset, and that has stayed paired all day without problems.

Help Please . I need Some Opinions...

Hello XDA-DEV .
I needed some opinions about this phone. I checked all the reviews that were online , I have been studying about this phone for sometime now. Let me tell you about me and then I will ask for your opinions. I currently am using a HTC TYTN and it’s a ok device. I have a O2 XDA EXEC that I bought 6 months ago and I love the device but poor signal were I live ( MA, USA ) I mean I have owned many HTC devices ( TREO 750, HTC Apache , HTC TYTN , HTC Wizard , HTC Universal , Blue Angel and DASH and many other devices like BB 8800 and 8700g and 8100 and TREO 650 and 600 , but WM is the way for me) I still have all these phones. My questions is that I love the screen and performance of the O2 XDA EXEC but the signal is very bad. I mean day and night between that and TYTN. I have tried pretty much any ROM that ever came out cooked or shipped with all the radio ROMs out there still nothing. So my questions is that how is Advantage, I am buying one this week but before I spend my money on it I want to see if it is worth the money.
Form all the people that have Advantage or AMEO or U1000 could you give me some opinions also size wise is it a lot bigger than Universal or NO?
Also if anyone lives on NE area in USA how is your experience with this device.
Again I appreciated all the effort that this community has done and all I can say is thank you.

My personal opinion is that it does feel quite a lot bigger than the Universal, but it is totally worth it! TBH, neither fits in your jeans pocket so once you get to Universal size then it doesn't matter if a device is a bit bigger if it is packing what the Athena is packing. Can't help you when it comes to signal, although I personally have had no problems at all.

Thank You. Honestly i dont think the size is really a problem. do you use this as a phone also. how is the day to day phone call operation. is it a pain or no.

I use mine as a normal phone, when cycling it's on wired headset, rest of the time I hold it to my ear..
'tis big, but hey so what

I went from the TyTn to the Athena. I loved the size of the TyTN with the exception of the screen size. Screen size just didn't feel right. I was a bit apprehensive before going to the Athena but don't regret it one bit. I was also discouraged when I found out that you couldn't hold it up to the ear like a regular phone but now that I've been using it for a while, I love it and much better. Phone is MUCH more stable than the TyTn, faster, etc. If I had to choose it would only be between the Universal and Athena. Are you experiencing the screen alignment issue with your TyTN?
Edit: Also, bluetooth on Athena works better than on TyTN.

from what i've heard so far this device is great. i have been waiting for it to come here and i will get me one 2maro. i cant wait till get it in my hands. i love the features. i was gonna get iphone but i phone has nothing on this.
i wanna say thank you for your opinions. it mean alot.

ltxda said:
I went from the TyTn to the Athena. I loved the size of the TyTN with the exception of the screen size. Screen size just didn't feel right. I was a bit apprehensive before going to the Athena but don't regret it one bit. I was also discouraged when I found out that you couldn't hold it up to the ear like a regular phone but now that I've been using it for a while, I love it and much better. Phone is MUCH more stable than the TyTn, faster, etc. If I had to choose it would only be between the Universal and Athena. Are you experiencing the screen alignment issue with your TyTN?
Edit: Also, bluetooth on Athena works better than on TyTN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no. but everytime i put this phone to my ear , it seams to hit something in the screen casue i keep hearing keytone. but i never had this problem with Uni, witch has bigger screen.
TYTN is ok but it is slow. i mean it freezes on me all the time. it takes 4ever for it to load.

fatouraee said:
no. but everytime i put this phone to my ear , it seams to hit something in the screen casue i keep hearing keytone. but i never had this problem with Uni, witch has bigger screen.
TYTN is ok but it is slow. i mean it freezes on me all the time. it takes 4ever for it to load.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you're right...it does freeze a lot and is slooooooooooow. You need to get an Athena. You won't regret it. I have the www.jawbone.com as my bluetooth headset and works great. Also, not sure if it was a hardware or software issue but they keyboard on the TyTN sucks!

fatouraee said:
Thank You. Honestly i dont think the size is really a problem. do you use this as a phone also. how is the day to day phone call operation. is it a pain or no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it as my only phone. Most the time it is paired with my Jabra BT8010 which makes it much more useable as a phone. However I hold it up on speaker phone if my Jabra is off and that works fine too. Enjoy your new toy!

ltxda said:
Yes, you're right...it does freeze a lot and is slooooooooooow. You need to get an Athena. You won't regret it. I have the www.jawbone.com as my bluetooth headset and works great. Also, not sure if it was a hardware or software issue but they keyboard on the TyTN sucks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup. he i saw your post recently and i bought a jawbone headset. the thing is amazing. how do you like the phone. i know u r in us and have tmobile service , how is it working for you so far.

fatouraee said:
yup. he i saw your post recently and i bought a jawbone headset. the thing is amazing. how do you like the phone. i know u r in us and have tmobile service , how is it working for you so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's working perfectly. I bought three units. So me and two buddies, all using TMobile in the US are very happy with the phone. I just don't trust the MicroDrive yet but don't really worry about it because I use a 4GB miniSDHC card to install my apps to. I'm in love with this phone and so are my two buddies. The built in GPS, which the TyTN doesn't have is a great great thing. I've purchased pretty much every high end phone HTC has made and this one is by far the best. The Universal comes in second place in my opinion. Reception on the Athena is better than the Universal and TyTN in my area. I gave my Universal to my fiancee so she uses it all the time. A great device and better than the TyTN.

ltxda said:
It's working perfectly. The built in GPS, which the TyTN doesn't have is a great great thing. I've purchased pretty much every high end phone HTC has made and this one is by far the best. The Universal comes in second place in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank,I have owned lots of pda phone - last time i had a regular phone was 5years ago. i started with hitachi g1000 from sprint back in the day.i own a business so it makes my life alot easier. Hey what software do you use for gps. i heard it doesnt come with maps . what do you use?

fatouraee said:
Thank,I have owned lots of pda phone - last time i had a regular phone was 5years ago. i started with hitachi g1000 from sprint back in the day.i own a business so it makes my life alot easier. Hey what software do you use for gps. i heard it doesnt come with maps . what do you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also own a business and this phone helps me stay organized. Also, being in a technology business, my customers almost expect me to have the latest and greatest. I don't disappoint. ;-)
I'm using TomTom. You do get one free map but what I did was just went out and purchased the full product for $150 from www.tomtom.com. It comes with the entire US and Cananda. I also like the Plus service. I have my state map, the regional map for this area and also the entire US map loaded. I keep the state map active. The entire US map doesn't contain all of the POI by default. I downloaded the POI that were not included in the default install so I'm up to speed. I use the local maps because they help with performance according to TomTom support. Just less data to deal with I guess.
My next purchase is going to be a low profile stereo bluetooth headset so I can listen to audio while lying down, etc. Going to be asking for opinions on this shortly.

ltxda said:
I also own a business and this phone helps me stay organized. Also, being in a technology business, my customers almost expect me to have the latest and greatest. I don't disappoint. ;-)
I'm using TomTom. You do get one free map but what I did was just went out and purchased the full product for $150 from www.tomtom.com. It comes with the entire US and Cananda. I also like the Plus service. I have my state map, the regional map for this area and also the entire US map loaded. I keep the state map active. The entire US map doesn't contain all of the POI by default. I downloaded the POI that were not included in the default install so I'm up to speed. I use the local maps because they help with performance according to TomTom support. Just less data to deal with I guess.
My next purchase is going to be a low profile stereo bluetooth headset so I can listen to audio while lying down, etc. Going to be asking for opinions on this shortly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the speed in navigation mode. is it similar tp the one in the car or slower.

fatouraee said:
How is the speed in navigation mode. is it similar tp the one in the car or slower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure. I've only had GPS for my PPC Phones. Never had the GPS devices. I know that in the past, the PocketPC GPS software was easier to customize, etc. Not sure with the newer GPS products.

ltxda said:
It's working perfectly. I bought three units. So me and two buddies, all using TMobile in the US are very happy with the phone. I just don't trust the MicroDrive yet but don't really worry about it because I use a 4GB miniSDHC card to install my apps to. I'm in love with this phone and so are my two buddies. The built in GPS, which the TyTN doesn't have is a great great thing. I've purchased pretty much every high end phone HTC has made and this one is by far the best. The Universal comes in second place in my opinion. Reception on the Athena is better than the Universal and TyTN in my area. I gave my Universal to my fiancee so she uses it all the time. A great device and better than the TyTN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm... I install many app to microdrive and some file on it, but backup regulary. No prob at all!!! Even on test using SKtools, the speed of microdrive far better than SD card almost 3-4x faster!!!

cornelius said:
Hm... I install many app to microdrive and some file on it, but backup regulary. No prob at all!!! Even on test using SKtools, the speed of microdrive far better than SD card almost 3-4x faster!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but it also drain a bit more memory....maybe when I update to WM6, i will give Micro Drive another try

is the problem with the micro drive solved. i know some poeple had problems specially with ameo. also how is the quality of video on this device.

fatouraee said:
is the problem with the micro drive solved. i know some poeple had problems specially with ameo. also how is the quality of video on this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Micro Drive issue is due to the ROM, so it's a software issue, now all the device seems to be running ok, but personally, i still don't trust the Micro Drive that much, the quality of video plays really well on the DOPOD U1000, you do need to make sure you set up your core player or TCPMP correctly, after that it plays the video smoothly.

cornelius said:
Hm... I install many app to microdrive and some file on it, but backup regulary. No prob at all!!! Even on test using SKtools, the speed of microdrive far better than SD card almost 3-4x faster!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes performance is quicker and so is the battery drain. I've just had a couple of files come up corrupt on the Microdrive so I know there is still some problem there that wasn't solved. Hopefully in the next ROM though. For now I'm keeping only movies and MP3's and audio books, etc on the Microdrive but nothing that isn't backed up.

Kaiser or Athena

Hi all.
I have a HTC Athena for daily use and others for developing and testing (Tynt, s200, p3300 and Universal) and I ve the posibility to get a cheap kaiser. My question (not easy)is..
"...Should I replace my Athena with kaiser??"
Athena strong points against kaiser.
1) SCREEN SCREEN SCREEN
2) a better Keyboard?
Athena weak points agains kaiser
1) Worst gps
2) very bulky.
3) My headsets makes me crazy many times.
4) touchflo?
I would like to listen other thoughts about it....
Thanks¡

I actually have both but am considering selling the Athena as it proved to be just a bit too big for my daily use... I just need to be able to put it into a pocket (even if it bulges out) every once in a while - something I couldn't do with the Athena, especially not in the leather 'case'. And I'm not a big fan of the 'quick-draw-western-style' holsters for the belt...
I've had the Kaiser only for a very few days and have found a few bugs, but they are not deal-breaking for me... and I'm enjoying the form-factor...
Functionality-wise I think they are very similar... apart from the VGA-resolution screen on the Athena.

Thanks Marcoma.
Apart of form-factor, do you appreciate more improvements in kaiser not present in athena (speed, phone speed, battery live, etc, etc).?
I think I would miss the vga screen too much
Dani

Well - the speed does seem a bit faster, but then again it is only driving a 320 x 240 resolution... I am able to watch movies again which is really nice (have to use an adapter for the headphones though since it doesn't have that nice 3.5" plug like the Athena) and I benchmark around 145 - 170% in Coreplayer.
Remember the actual CPU is slower than the Athena (520 - 620MHz if I remember correctly).
I don't find the phone a lot faster, but I didn't use the phone itself that often... the battery lasts about as long as I got out of the Athena... depending on the usage 1 - 2 days. if you watch movies, use GPS etc. it's a day - no more
What is very nice is the application that comes bundles where one just takes a picture of a business-card and it OCR's the picture and puts it right into contact - pretty darn accurate and way cool (and for me actually useful).
Overall, i feel it's like the Athena, just in a smaller package...

I had a HTC Advantage X7500. I returned that to mobileplanet for a full refund $1100. Now I own a HTC Kaiser TyTN II $750. I would call Kaiser the best available in its size group.
I disliked a few things in the HTC Advantage X7500. High Price, Battery not highly upgradable, Size, Weight, Portability,
When HTC Advantage X7500 prices drop I will go back for it. I love the fact that you can upgrade its microdrive and it supports miniSDHC. HTC Athena is a good device for modding.
I have seen a lot of people who are in the Kaiser community who are no more in the Athena community.

danielherrero said:
Hi all.
I have a HTC Athena for daily use and others for developing and testing (Tynt, s200, p3300 and Universal) and I ve the posibility to get a cheap kaiser. My question (not easy)is..
"...Should I replace my Athena with kaiser??"
Athena strong points against kaiser.
1) SCREEN SCREEN SCREEN
2) a better Keyboard?
Athena weak points agains kaiser
1) Worst gps
2) very bulky.
3) My headsets makes me crazy many times.
4) touchflo?
I would like to listen other thoughts about it....
Thanks¡
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not used a kaiser but..
Worst GPS? Why?
touchflo?
better keyboard? not tried kaiser but prefer Universals.

Well, finally got a kaiser.
1) Screen is qvga, logically
2) GPS is much much better.
3) Fits in my pocket.
4) Keyboard is good but Athena's one is better.
5) I can forget my headset if not necesary
....
I am happy with It but I wouldnt pay 650€ for a kaiser if I already ve an Athena....

danielherrero said:
Thanks Marcoma.
Apart of form-factor, do you appreciate more improvements in kaiser not present in athena (speed, phone speed, battery live, etc, etc).?
I think I would miss the vga screen too much
Dani
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
speed? The Athena has clearly the faster processor and running the same OS (assuming WM6) why should Kaister be faster?

Im in a similar boat, T-mobile upgrade is due, using a hermes, considering the Athena, but feel the Kasier is what I need. I really love reading all the athena stuff, and feel its a great device but on a daily basis ill just go crazy. Found an old diary which is about the same dimensions of the Athena, and kept carrying it everywhere to imagine what it would be like using the athena. Anyways I am gonna pop into a T-mobile shop and see what deals are available on both and then decide. Its more like Loving this hot babe, but knowing you cant live with her... LoL..

if you are more of a talker then a smaller phone is for you
personally i am much more of a internet browser, video streamer etc so the Athena blows away anything for me at the moment.
Its more like a mini laptop that can make phone calls than a true phone which suits me just fine but is not for everyone

Spacecat I echo your point. I'm also more an internet browsing person, although I also watch movies a lot with its big screen. So for me the big screen, although bigger size, is the biggest advantage of Athena. I don't care about hardware keyboard as Tengo is working so well for me, especially on big screen.
After using real VGA at 128 dpi, I just can't imagine using QVGA. Its simply no longer acceptable anymore. A small VGA screen does not go well with realVGA even at 128 dpi( this is assuming that you do come across a smaller VGA enabled device)
Bottom line: BIG VGA screen is the single most important consideration for me. It's not the storage space or keyboard, especially when you can get 8GB microSDHC card.

Thank you spacecat and eaglesteve, for your inputs, I am gonna think this one out a bit more, but it always feels very re-assuring to hear first hand experiences.

I am a 8525 user and i will upgrade soon
but i'm not sure with one i'll choose
I have read lots of reviews of the athena,one thing I haven't found, is it possible to use it as a phone ( speak with it, with out a speaker phone or a bluetooth)
just placing it against my head and speak
and no vibration ... ? how do you get your mail or sms during a meeting ?
is it possible to put it in your pocket ... for exemple in a pocket of a jacket coat or a jeans ?
thank you

The phone works out of the box as a 'speaker phone'. If you plug in a pair of earphones you get privacy for the incoming side of the conversation and the mike will still work. This makes it similar to a regular phone. If you have a 3.5 plug headset that will work also as will bluetooth headsets.
I doubt this device would ever get in a jeans pocket unless you have a large cargo pocket on the outside of the leg. I have been using such pairs of pants and it is satisfactory but I think a pouch attached to your belt is the best way to go.
Brad

I do hold it against my face.
ariaguest said:
and no vibration ... ? how do you get your mail or sms during a meeting ?
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not an issue for me. I simply go to sound setting and change the announcement for new sms and mail to a soft beep. I can always hear it but others don't really notice it. Or if they do, no one has said anything. You can do the same for incoming call before going into a meeting, just change the ringtone to a soft beep.
I do use the phone without bluetooth and hold it against my face. Does'nt bother me a bit. However,when using voip, I use a wired headset otherwise there will be echo at the other end as the other guy's voice coming out of the speaker feed into the microphone.
I use a diy belt pouch to carry it around without keyboard,and it's not big at all.

I also prefare X7500, althogh have just ordered Keiser fir m wife. The screen is most important. When in the car there is no comparison to any other device. I use it hardly as a phone, but also as data/info storage, mailing, internert and as access pont for my laptop, when on the move.
I always use my Jabra stereo headset and keep it on a belt. This way I do not have to bother to get it out when the call rings. People usualy do not know wheather I am on the pohone or am talking to them. This is the only problem. Jabra aso works great when on voip.

same doubts. I'm on the 3 pieces bandwagon. A tablet (IBM X60) which is the main office, a very slim/small/cheap cell (LG KG320) and a WM hardware. Until few days ago I use a HTC TyTN and went to HKG looking for an Athena. Find only the old Dopod version and get disapointed with the white looking and price. So, got a Kaiser. Very good machine, no questions. BUT, when I want to work light the Kaiser is not enough to show products to a client. The screen is just to small for a more professional use. On the other hand is too expensive and bulky for a constant use as a cell (which I carry even for jogging). I think that if you choose the 3 pieces approach for a mobile work the Athena is probably the best. I had a look on the UMPCs and find many nice and even well priced. Problem? Vista. Who wants a mobile hardware with slow boot and all the problems Vista related (plus anemic processors) and a battery that does not last a full work day? I will try to get an Athena from USA where the prices are more reasonable.

buying a used advantage?

whats up guys and ladies? anyways im gonna buy a used advantage (probably ebay) and im wondering what kind of things i should be looking for? i sold my tilt/kaiser and wanna try a advantage. (came from hp6515 wizard 8525 tilt and some other windows phones)mostly the big screen and high res screen. ive been reading the threads didnt see anything for the following
will i always have the vga resolution? or will i go back to a lower res screen for web browsing? or other programs? ive seen the 96i and 128i but will it stiil be vga or will it look like im surfing the web on my tilt?
how is battery life on push ?
i will mostly be using it for web browsing/text and email. not that much voice calls. any type of feedback will be great

cjmedina said:
whats up guys and ladies? anyways im gonna buy a used advantage (probably ebay) and im wondering what kind of things i should be looking for? i sold my tilt/kaiser and wanna try a advantage. (came from hp6515 wizard 8525 tilt and some other windows phones)mostly the big screen and high res screen. ive been reading the threads didnt see anything for the following
will i always have the vga resolution? or will i go back to a lower res screen for web browsing? or other programs? ive seen the 96i and 128i but will it stiil be vga or will it look like im surfing the web on my tilt?
how is battery life on push ?
i will mostly be using it for web browsing/text and email. not that much voice calls. any type of feedback will be great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RealVGA is implemented pretty well in the PK ROMS and add-ons. You will get VGA when browsing or you can use PIE in high-resolution mode. Used Athenas are still pulling around $700 on ebay and there are always a few for sale there. There's always the risk you'll end up with a turd so be careful and ask lots of questions. If the deal doesn't look right run like hell and remember if it looks too good to be true it probably is. Battery life on direct push is good for all day with me but I use BT and wi-fi only as needed. FWIW my favorite things about my x7501 are the big screen which makes a lot of programs more finger-friendly and the in-built GPS, which I use for airborne and in-car navigation (using AnywhereMap and TeleNav respectifely).
EDIT: Don't worry about the front facing video camera if you live in the USA, it's useless AFAIK.

Hi cjmedina,
Athena is simply IMO the best device for surfing internet on the move. However, use a bluetooth headset to use it as a phone as well. Most people think that this is at least as good as an average phone if you do that. This poll might be of interest to you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=360782
If you need more info on Athena, you might find it useful to read my post reviews here:
Part 1 - storage: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/962
Part 2 - screen: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1011
Part 3 - keyboard: http://www.mobilehornet.com/archives/1031
The other parts will be published on www.mobilehornet.com soon.
Used advantage is attractive from cost saving's perspective. I think I actually would prefer it over the new 7510 myself because I use the hardware buttons quite a lot. The microdrive is not a problem to me, luckily.
Hope this helps.

thanks eaglesteve im gonna buy one this week thanks for all the info

shameless plug but ive got one for sale...pm for details